Bound by Honor
by Kathy Rose
Summary: Sequel to Acts of Piracy. Malcolm and Hoshi plan to settle down and run a shipping business, but of course that doesn't go smoothly. Meanwhile, Kleth takes an interest in a new member of Malcolm's crew. COMPLETE! Reviews welcome, please.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Bound by Honor

Author: Kathy Rose

Rating: M (for a few adult situations)

Category: Adventure/Romance--AU (Alternate Universe)

Beta: PJ -- thanks again, lady!

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to someone else, etc., etc., etc. I'm not making any money, I'm just having fun with the characters. Wish I'd thought of them first.

Summary: Sequel to Acts of Piracy. Malcolm and Hoshi plan to settle down, run a shipping business and raise a family, but of course things go wrong. Meanwhile, Kleth the Klingon takes an interest in a member of Malcolm's new crew.

CHAPTER 1

"They spray something in the ship to make it smell like this, you know," Hoshi said, pausing to sniff.

She and Malcolm were walking down a corridor in his ship. He had purchased it two weeks ago on Earth. It wasn't a new ship, but it was the closest Malcolm could find to what he wanted -- speed combined with lots of cargo space. It was the first of what Malcolm hoped would evenutally be a fleet for a shipping business he was trying to establish.

"What smell?" he asked as he stopped and sniffed as well.

"New ship smell," she answered. "I recognize it from every time we'd get a new ship at H-S Shipping."

He chuckled. "This ship is twenty years old. There is no way it can be considered new."

"Yes, but the new ship smell is just one of the little tricks sellers use to boost the price."

He smiled at her as they resumed walking. "I knew I should have taken you along when I bought this."

Hoshi's smile fell. Malcolm had unintentionally hit a sore spot. She could never return to Earth, not unless she wanted to take a chance on spending a good portion of the rest of her life in prison.

Noticing her downcast expression, Malcolm stopped walking and put out an arm to stop her.

"I'm sorry, Hoshi," he said sincerely. "Some day that will be all sorted out. Give it some time. You weren't responsible for what happened, and the powers that be will realize that, too, eventually."

"You're right, of course," she said, trying not to think about the seventeen Estabi who had been killed by her crew, despite her orders not to harm them, when she had commanded a renegade Klingon warbird. "Just so long as I have you, it doesn't matter."

She was rewarded by a huge grin that lit up his face. "Let me show you something else," he said excitedly.

She let out a sigh. They'd traipsed all over the ship, and had seen the bridge, engineering, any number of cargo holds, the crew's quarters, the mess. What else could there possibly be to see?

Besides, she was tired. She wanted nothing more than to get off her feet. Her doctor at one of the medical clinics she had established on Estab had told her she might feel this way the first few weeks.

Malcolm leaned over and pushed the entry button on the bulkhead next to the door where they had stopped. She glanced at him in puzzlement before looking into the room. Her eyes widened at what she saw inside.

"It's your cabin," she said in amazement as she took in the furnishings. "This sure beats my captain's cabin on the Falcon."

Stepping into the room, she continued to gaze delightedly around. There were the expected accounterments -- a desk and chair, computer, a table. But everything that could be was made of wood that glowed with a polished patina.

A door off to one side was open, and she caught a glimpse of gleaming porcelain fixtures.

Her eyes went to a screen panel with an Oriental design that ran from ceiling to floor on the opposite side of the cabin. Behind it was the only place that could possibly have enough room for a bed.

Tossing Malcolm an impish smile, she sauntered around the room, stopping to peek in the bathroom and making an approving murmur. Not only was there a shower, but a bathtub as well.

She continued her inspection, impressed as she looked at a wooden armoire. She appreciatively ran her hand down the framework on one of its doors.

"Antique?" she asked as she opened a door to reveal Malcolm's neatly hung ship-board clothing.

"Of course," he replied. "Came from my parents' estate, as did the rest of the furniture."

She resumed her inspection, her steps taking her toward the screen panel. Pointing to it, she asked, "And this?"

"Lovely, isn't it? That's the one piece I bought especially for you. Just in case Kleth ever decides to pay an unexpected visit while you're here."

They grinned at each other as they remembered the time on the Falcon when the big Klingon had burst in to find them in bed. Hoshi felt a flush starting to stain her cheeks, and quickly turned away to look behind the screen as Malcolm chuckled.

She squealed. There wasn't the standard narrow bunk behind the screen, but a grand-sized, more-than-big-enough-for-two bed. "Did this come from your parents' estate, too?"

"Heaven forbid! I wouldn't be able to sleep, not to mention do other things in it, if it was theirs," he responded, crossing the cabin to stand by her side. "No, I bought that."

"I thought you said the screen was the only piece you bought for me?"

"It is. The bed is for us," he said, turning her around to face him so that he could lean down and kiss her.

She moaned lightly as his lips caressed hers, her arms wending their way around his back.

"I missed you so much," he whispered against her lips, his arms tightening around her.

"You were only gone three weeks," she whispered back.

"The longest three weeks of my life," he growled before his mouth came down to claim hers forcefully.

She suddenly swayed on her feet, and his hands steadied her.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She smiled at him, thinking this would be the perfect time to tell him. They were alone in his cabin on his new ship, about to celebrate his homecoming. Why not give him one more thing to celebrate?

She opened her mouth to speak but there was a knock at the door. She glanced in the direction of the door, but it was out of sight on the other side of the screen.

"Bloody hell," Malcolm muttered. "What is it about us and captain's cabins?"

She giggled. "It can't be Kleth, because he and the Falcon aren't due back from his trade run yet."

Malcolm laughed softly and patted her shoulder. "At least whoever it is, they're knocking first."

He went around the screen, Hoshi following. She stopped in the middle of the cabin as he opened the door.

"Hey! How's it goin'?" came a once-familiar drawl.

"Commander Tucker?" she said incredulously. "Shouldn't you be on a Starfleet vessel somewhere?"

He grinned at her, taking a step into the cabin before replying. "Please, after all we've been through, call me Trip. And I should be, but I'm not. Someone talked me into tinkerin' with the engine on his new ship." Giving Malcolm a quick glance, he lowered his voice before turning back to her. "How he found out I had almost six months' leave comin' I have no idea."

"Trip agreed to help me out with my first ship," Malcolm said. "Besides, I can't see Kleth standing up as my best man."

"I seriously doubt he'd want to be the flower girl, either," Hoshi managed to say with a straight face, and all three burst out laughing.

When the laughter subsided, Trip looked over at Malcolm. "So when is the big day, anyway?"

Malcolm glanced at Hoshi, his nod indicating she should answer.

"We still have a few things we need to take care of first," she said. "Malcolm wants to get the ship ready, and I'm scheduled to leave on a trip to Lanari the day after tomorrow."

"Lanari?" Trip repeated. "That's in the next system over, isn't it?"

"Yes," she answered. "The government there has asked me to be a consultant for some medical clinics it wants to set up."

Malcolm's voice was full of pride as he said, "Hoshi's getting quite a reputation in the area. Her medical clinics on Estab have been very successful."

She blushed at his praise. "Once that's out of the way, we'll see about arranging for a ceremony on Estab."

"Takin' your honeymoon on board?" Trip asked curiously.

"Yes," Malcolm said. "Our first scheduled cargo run will be ideal for a long, leisurely honeymoon."

The talk turned to the upgrades Malcolm wanted Trip to do on the ship, and Hoshi found her attention drifting. She really was tired. If they were going to keep going over engine specs and power routings, maybe she'd just slip away and get some sleep. She could wait a little longer to tell Malcolm her news. She certainly didn't want to spring it on him in front of Trip.

"Hoshi?"

Malcolm's voice brought her back.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's been a long day."

"Why don't you go down to the cottage," Malcolm said. "I'll be along shortly."

She gave him a tolerant smile. "Take as long as you want. I know how you two are."

Trip cleared his throat. "Maybe I should be goin'," he said.

Malcolm stepped over and gave Hoshi a quick peck on the cheek. "You don't mind?" he asked.

"No, I'll just take a quick nap," she said. A smile quirked her lips as she added in a low voice, "We can save the captain's bed for our honeymoon."

"I'm out of here," Trip said, walking toward the door. "Too much information for me."

Malcolm chuckled and gave Hoshi another quick kiss before following the engineer. "I'll see you at the cottage in a bit," he said from the door.

"I'll be waiting," she said.

* * *

It was later than Malcolm had realized. He and Trip had gotten so wrapped up in tweaking the ship's engine that time had passed quickly. When they'd finally managed to get a recalcitrant power coupling to behave, he'd been startled to find out that it was well past the dinner hour.

He'd hurriedly beamed down to the public pad nearest the cottage on Estab. It would have been easier to beam into the cottage, but Hoshi had some old-fashioned notions about certain things. The cottage has a door -- use it, she had said.

He could see the lights in the house as he approached. The brisk five-minute walk from the pad had invigorated him, and he was looking forward to being with Hoshi by himself without interruption.

He quickly let himself in and shut the door behind him. She wasn't in the living area or the kitchen, but he saw a dim light coming from the bedroom. He quietly walked over to the door and peeked in. Hoshi was still dressed, fast asleep lying on her stomach on their bed.

She really had been tired, he realized. He had thought her comments about a long day and how much her feet hurt had been a not-so-subtle ploy to get him home and in bed. He smiled as he gazed at her, wondering if he would ever fully understand her. Then he realized it didn't matter -- he would always love her, no matter what. She was the only woman in the entire universe for whom he would have given up his commission in Starfleet, and he hadn't regretted it once.

He debated for a few moments, wondering if he should wake her or let her sleep. She worked too hard, but then, her close supervision of the medical clinics she had set up on Estab ensured their success. No wonder the Lanari government was asking her to help with its similar effort.

Slipping off his boots, he carefully crawled onto the bed next to her and pulled a quilt over both of them, her soft breathing lulling him to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Hoshi woke to the smell of bacon, and immediately felt her stomach heave. Forcing down the nausea, she took a deep breath and rolled over onto her back.

Malcolm must have come home some time last night, she figured as she looked over at his rumpled side of the bed. And now he was up and fixing breakfast at -- squinting at the clock, she made out the time -- 0600! She moaned, both at the time and at her unruly innards. A few more deep breaths through her mouth and her stomach settled down, and she cautiously slid out of bed.

She was still in the clothes from the day before. She needed a shower before she could do anything else. Padding quickly to the bathroom, she turned on the light and shut the door behind her. A few more deep breaths and a cool, wet washcloth rubbed over her brow and neck convinced her she could get right to a shower without any embarrassing delays.

Stepping into the warm spray, she grinned. Some homecoming this was. She had been so tired she hadn't been able to stay awake until Malcolm had arrived. And she still hadn't told him.

As long as he didn't catch her throwing up, she was going to wait until a more romantic moment. Perhaps tonight. They could have a nice dinner -- alone -- and later, when the timing was perfect, she'd tell him he was going to be a father.

Besides, he was planning to work with Trip today on the ship. She knew Malcolm well enough to know that her news might distract him enough to allow him to accidentally weld his hand to something or other. She also admitted to herself that it would be nice for just her and Malcolm to know, if only for a few hours. She imagined he'd be telling everyone on board about it if she told him this morning.

She was toweling off after the shower when she heard his footsteps in the bedroom.

"Hoshi? I've got something for you when you come out of there," she heard him say.

Smiling, she tied her robe closed around her waist and opened the door. Malcolm was standing next to the bed, holding a tray on which appeared to be breakfast for two.

"You were supposed to be in bed so I could surprise you," he scolded. His voice changed to a deeper timbre as he took in her freshly scrubbed face and damp hair. "That isn't bad, though."

He waited until she had seated herself on the bed before putting the tray next to her. He leaned down and kissed her over the tray. The first stirrings of arousal were squelched, however, by the renewed uproar in her stomach, and she grimaced against his lips.

Malcolm pulled back and looked at her in concern. "What's the matter?"

Struggling to keep down everything -- which wasn't much, considering she hadn't eaten since early yesterday evening -- she managed to give him a small smile.

"I'm not sure the bacon is good. It doesn't smell right to me," she said.

"Hmm." He sniffed. "Smells fine to me. Then again, you're the one who noticed the new ship smell."

As he moved the tray to put it on the night table, she wiggled around to get more comfortable on the bed. He turned back to find her waiting to press up against him.

"There are other things we could do for breakfast," he said, gazing down into her eyes.

She murmured agreement and reached up to stroke his face. "Why didn't you wake me last night?"

"You looked so peaceful," he said, leaning closer and gently pushing her onto her back. "If you were so tired that you fell asleep in your clothes, you probably needed your sleep."

"I'm well rested now," she said, drawing him down.

"All the better," he said before he kissed her, his hands beginning a slow re-acquaintance with her body.

She sighed at the sensation of his fingers stroking her neck, her shoulder, her upper arm, all the while her tongue dueling with his in a slow frenzy. She gasped as one of his hands roamed across her breasts, and she reached down to undo her robe, pushing it out of the way.

It was strangely erotic, being exposed to his exploration while he was fully clothed, and her hand rubbed across his chest and down farther. It was his turn to gasp when she touched him where he strained against his pants.

"I missed you so much," he whispered through a groan.

"Not as much as I missed you," she murmured.

He growled deep in his throat as he got up and quickly removed his shirt and pants. When he retook his place by her on the bed, she laughed softly as she fingered the waistband on his shorts. "You forgot something," she said.

"I thought you might enjoy taking them off," he replied huskily, guiding her hands to slide his shorts off.

There was no more talking as they found pleasure in each other, the desires which had been held back for three long weeks finally finding release.

The breakfast Malcolm had so lovingly prepared was long cold by the time their other appetites were sated.

"I'm afraid breakfast isn't any good now," he said as they lay in each other's arms. "I could fix you another."

"That's all right," she said hurriedly, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I haven't been eating much for breakfast lately." She untangled herself from him and hopped off the bed. "Now I'm going to have to shower all over again."

He propped himself up on an elbow as he watched her flit around the room, getting clothing from the closet and the drawers in the dresser. "Want some help?" he asked.

"No, I'm going to be late for my visit to the Rawala clinic if I don't hurry. If you help me in the shower, there's no way I can hurry."

His laughter followed her into the bathroom as she set about taking her second shower of the morning. By the time she was finished, he had come into the bathroom and was shaving.

"I need to get going, too," he said. "After I see you to the transporter pad, I need to get up to the ship."

Reaching past him for her toothbrush, she asked, "Have you come up with a name for it yet?"

Even though he was shaving, he kept an eye on her in the mirror as he answered. "I've given it considerable thought. Must have come up with a hundred names. By a process of elimination, I narrowed it down to a select few."

"Get to the point," she said impatiently as she put toothpaste on the brush. "What did you name it?"

He waited until she had put the brush in her mouth and had started vigorously moving it around.

"Morning Star," he said.

A blob of paste went down her throat as she inhaled sharply in surprise at his words. She coughed a few times and reached for the water glass, filling it as she croaked out, "Morning Star? You know what--"

"Yes, I do," he said, motioning for her to take a drink. "Your name means 'star.' It just seemed appropriate."

She took a drink of water and swallowed. "Did you know that my father used to call me his 'morning star?'"

"Really? We can change it if you don't like--"

"No! It's perfect," she said, reaching up to give him a kiss through the shaving lather. "It makes what we're doing seem...right."

"Ah, get on with you, wench," he said with a twinkle in his eye and gave her a gentle shove toward the door.

She sighed happily as she went back into the bedroom, amused by his turn of phrase. Old-fashioned movie phrases still peppered their conversations, a left-over from when she had captained the Falcon and had masqueraded as a pirate to seek the man responsible for killing her husband.

Her eyes went to the closet where her old Klingon outfit was hung. She kept is as a reminder of the transition from her former life with Matthew to the one she now had with Malcolm.

She would be forever grateful to Matthew for his expertise in the shipping business, through which he had built a successful fleet of cargo ships. After his death, she had sold the business, initially allowing her to finance her vendetta to avenge him, but now also bringing medical benefits to the Estabi through her clinics.

The fortune was also helping her to aid Malcolm in establishing his own shipping business so they could build a life together. She was wealthy, but Malcolm had too much pride to rely on her funds as the sole source of their livelihood. She was still amazed he had allowed her to pay for his first ship.

She thought often of Matthew, but it was more a bittersweet recollection than the raw pain she had once felt. She was certain Matthew would have wanted her to get on with her life. If he had ever met Malcolm, she thought it likely the two men would have become friends. Then she would have been in the awkward position, however, of having to choose between them.

She gave herself a small shake. There was no reason to dwell on the past and hypothetical situations. Must be the hormones, she told herself.

She was dressed and putting the finishing touches on her make-up when Malcolm, a towel wrapped around his waist, came out of the bathroom.

"How is it that I was the first one up but the last one to be ready?" he asked as he opened the closet and pulled out a turtleneck sweater.

She rolled her eyes and snickered, watching in the mirror as he put on pants and a shirt, and then pulled the sweater on over the shirt. When his head popped through the neck opening in the sweater, she caught his eye.

"What?" he asked.

"You used to look like a Klingon pirate," she said. "Now you look like you belong on some fishing boat in the mid-Atlantic."

He grinned as he sat on the bed to put on his socks and boots. "I hope this doesn't mean we'll be hauling live food stuffs on our first cargo run."

"As long as you keep the captain's cabin well-ventilated," she said, heading for the door to the living area. "I'm not sure I'll be able to handle animal smells on our honeymoon."

He stared after her a moment, then shook his head. Sometimes, he just didn't understand what she was talking about.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Malcolm went with Hoshi to the public transporter pad and saw her off before beaming up to the ship. As he materialized on board the Morning Star, he was glad he had insisted upon Klingon-style transporter technology being installed. It was so much easier and convenient than taking a shuttle.

Not that the Morning Star didn't have a shuttle, too. He had tried to restrain himself with Hoshi's money, but she had given him carte blanche, and he'd wanted the best ship he could have for cargo hauling. A shuttle had been on the list of extras to which he had treated the Morning Star.

In addition to the Klingon-style transporter and a shuttlepod, Trip was working on upgrades which would bring engine efficiency up and allow the Morning Star to reach warp 4.2. That was more than respectable for a freighter, the majority of which couldn't go faster than warp 3.

He hadn't told Hoshi yet about the other project on which he and Trip were working. He figured it would be best if they got the phase cannons installed, one on the port side and the other on the starboard, before breaking the news to her that the Morning Star would be armed.

Not that he thought she'd object. To the contrary, he expected her to approve, given their first-hand experience with the dangers inherent in shipping. Her husband had been killed by pirates who had boarded one of his ships. He wasn't about to allow Hoshi to be a widow again.

Leaving the transporter pad, he walked out into the corridor and headed to engineering, nodding in greeting to several crewmembers. The composition of the crew was another thing Hoshi didn't know about yet, he thought to himself with a smile.

Most were former Starfleet officers or crewmen. Some had reached their duty limit and hadn't re-upped; others had taken early retirement but couldn't keep away from space. Two had been booted out of Starfleet because they couldn't conform to regulations.

The real surprise, though, was that he'd hired a Klingon with an engineering background. He couldn't wait to see both Hoshi's and Kleth's faces when they were presented with Slanea.

As he neared engineering, he could hear an argument in progress, Trip's voice raised in Southern indignation as he verbally battled with a softer but no less fierce feminine tone.

Not again, Malcolm thought, ducking to pass through the hatch to engineering. Those two had been going at it ever since Trip had come on board.

"Malcolm!" Trip called out. "I'm glad you're here. She wants to take out all the couplings we installed yesterday. Can ya believe it?"

Slanea, a Klingon female of average height but impressive proportions where it counted, hissed at Trip before turning to face Malcolm. "The material used to make the couplings is of inferior quality, Captain," she said, her brow ridges furrowing as she spoke. "They will not last even ten light years."

"I helped install those couplings myself, Slanea," Malcolm responded mildly, noting that the nondescript jumpsuit she wore only served to emphasize her femininity. In Klingon fashion, she had it cinched tight at the waist, showing off her formidable curves. It also wasn't zipped up all the way, revealing her considerable cleavage.

"I will show you, Captain," she said, throwing a glare at Trip before stalking to one side of engineering and picking up a coupling from a repair table.

"She's going to be my chief engineer, Trip," Malcolm said out of the side of his mouth. "Could you try not to upset her so much?"

"She's a Klingon! They're always like this," Trip retorted as if that explained everything. "And there's nothin' wrong with those couplings."

Slanea came striding back toward them, the power coupling in one hand and a probe in the other. Stopping before the two men, she ignored Trip and focused on Malcolm.

"Yes, it does look like nothing is wrong," she said, "but watch when a charge is run through it."

She touched the probe to the coupling and depressed a button. A blue flare shot along the coupling, followed by a spark and a puff of smoke.

"That's not supposed to happen," Trip said. "How much power did you run through there?"

"Does it matter?" she replied. "It shouldn not have happened at all. The probe cannot produce more power than what would normally run through the coupling."

Malcolm looked from the now-fried power coupling to Trip. "Pull them all," he ordered.

Trip started to protest. "But--"

"Pull them all," Malcolm repeated. "This isn't Starfleet. Since we have to get our supplies on the open market, there are bound to be times when the quality of some of them doesn't match Starfleet standards. We'll just have to test everything from now on before we install anything."

Trip sighed. "You're right, of course. What was I thinkin'?"

"I know what you were thinking," Slanea said as she turned and walked away.

Trip glared after the departing figure. "We gonna wind up killin' each other in this engine room, I just know it."

Malcolm grinned. "Yes, but does she know her stuff?"

"Engineering? Seems to," Trip said. "Guess I've been in Starfleet too long to think about checkin' parts before they're installed. Good thing she did, or we'd be driftin' somewhere the first cargo run we went on."

"Maybe you can learn some things from her," Malcolm suggested slyly.

Trip just snorted.

* * *

Hoshi's mind wasn't on the tour of the new wing at the clinic in the Estabi province of Rawala, but she managed to keep a smile on her face and nod at the appropriate times as the director showed her around. 

While each of the twelve clinics she had set up handled basic medical care, each also had a specialty. At Rawala, it was orthopedic surgery for children. The new wing under construction was to be dedicated to rehabilitation and therapy services that went along with pediatric orthopedics.

As the Estabi director, Petrania, droned on, Hoshi's thoughts meandered elsewhere. Lately she'd become obsessed with baby names. There were a number of names that appealed to her, but Malcolm should have some say. She wondered if he'd agree to give the baby an English name if it was a boy, and a Japanese name if it was a girl.

Bringing herself back to the present, she heard Petrania say, "And over here is where the staff will have their offices."

As the lean female Estabi pointed to a framed-off area that hadn't been completed, Hoshi asked, "Have we hired any rehab people?"

"Personnel reports there have been quite a few applicants, although no one has been hired yet," Petrania said with a smile. "The reputation of your clinics among the medical community has made them desirable places to work."

Hoshi smiled at the compliment. Medicine was only as good as its practitioners, and she was gratified that her clinics had been able to attract the best.

Eventually, she hoped to establish a facility which dealt solely with research. It was one thing to treat people, but there were still a number of diseases and ailments on Estab for which there were no cures. She knew setting up such a facility didn't guarantee any break-throughs, but at least it wouldn't be for lack of trying.

Hoshi turned her gaze away from the construction to find the director peering owlishly at her.

"Something on your mind, Petrania?" she asked.

"I am curious, as are other Estabi, why you are doing this?"

"Well, I don't know much about medicine but I do know that some surgery doesn't do any good unless there is physical therapy afterward."

"No, that is not what I meant," Petrania said with a slight wave of her hand. "I mean, why are you, an off-worlder, helping us?"

Hoshi had long ago prepared an answer for this question, which was rarely asked. The Estabi had great respect for privacy, and so far had respected hers, although if she were in their place, she would have been consumed by curiosity.

"I have a debt to repay," Hoshi answered simply. "I decided to repay it in a way that will benefit the most people."

Petrania hesitated for a few moments, then said, "I am wondering how long your interest in us will last. You have shown great munificence to us, yet you could take it away at any moment."

Hoshi didn't miss the apprehension in the director's soft voice. Picking her words carefully, she sought to ease the other woman's concern. "Don't worry, Petrania. My debt is such that it can never be repaid. I won't abandon these clinics or the people of Estab."

Petrania harrumped, and Hoshi could tell she still hadn't totally reassured her, especially when the woman said, "Perhaps, but you are leaving for Lanari tomorrow."

Hoshi fought down a smile, but she couldn't refuse the urge to tease the director. "Why, Petrania! I do believe you're jealous."

"No," she said. "Well, maybe a little. Lanari is taking you away from us."

"But only for a little while. I'll be back on Estab in four days."

Petrania harrumped again.

"Oh, stop it!" Hoshi said with a laugh as they began heading back to Petrania's office for their customary after-tour cup of tea. "You aren't getting rid of me that easily. ... So tell me about some of these applicants."

* * *

Malcolm was tired but happy as he walked to their cottage that evening. Trip and Slanea had pulled all the power couplings and checked them. Another four had been found to be defective. They had made sure the replacements would work before installing them. 

He was beginning to realize that he was fortunate to have found Slanea. Most of the crew, having been in Starfleet, had a certain perspective, and that perspective didn't always jive with the way things were outside the service. The Klingon's insight had saved the Morning Star from a potentially disastrous accident.

Maybe she would rub off on some of the crew and make them more open to looking at things from a different angle. Remembering her altercation with Trip that morning, however, he knew it could be a long, difficult process.

He climbed the steps to the porch of the cottage and stopped to admire the setting. The Estabi sun was beginning to set, and a golden glow suffused the landscape. The fragrance of flowers came to him, but it was light and delicate, not overpowering. Hoshi had picked a wonderful place to make a home for them.

When he opened the door, his nose was greeted by a different smell. Hoshi had been cooking, he deduced as he inhaled appreciately. Something with meat, something he hadn't had for a long time, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

He glanced at the dining table and saw it was set for two. There was a linen tablecloth, a bud vase with a single flower in it, and two candles, the flames of which were glowing softly.

There also was a bottle in the ice bucket. Walking over, he pulled the bottle out to read the label. Non-alcoholic champagne?

Hoshi stuck her head out of the kitchen. "I thought I heard you come in," she said with a smile, wiping her hands on her apron.

"What are you fixing?" he asked. "It smells divine."

"Shepherd's pie," she replied. "I hope it turns out all right. It's the first time I've fixed it."

"My mother used to fix shepherd's pie," Malcolm said, finally placing the aroma.

Hoshi gave him another smile. "I thought you might like some traditional British food."

"I'd eat anything you fixed," he said, going over and grasping her shoulders so he could place a kiss on her forehead. Releasing her and taking a step back, he added, "At least, I'd try."

She playfully swung a pot-holder at him. "I've got to get it out of the oven. Go sit down."

Malcolm seated himself and uncorked the bottle as she carried the casserole into the dining area and placed it on the table. She went back to the kitchen and returned with another serving dish.

"_Baby_ peas," she said, placing the dish on the table. Seeing that he had opened the bottle, she added, "Why don't you go ahead and pour some of that."

She sat down as he filled their glasses. Setting the bottle back in the ice bucket, he handed her one glass and took up the other, holding it out in front of him. "Here's to us," he said, gazing into her eyes.

"To us," she echoed. "And..._new beginnings_."

"New beginnings," he murmured before taking a sip of the drink.

She allowed him to serve himself before she put any food on her plate, Malcolm noticed. He took a hearty portion, but he also noted that she took only a tiny bit, along with a helping of peas.

She asked after his day, and he told her about the power couplings, although he was still keeping the fact that Slanea was Klingon a secret. She in turn told him about touring the Rawala clinic.

"The therapy and rehabilitation service area is still in the..._infant_...stage," she remarked casually. "There's quite a bit of work to do yet, as it's still actually a _newborn_, so to speak. Petrania was practically crying like a _baby_ about about my trip tomorrow, too."

Malcolm, meanwhile, had plowed through his first helping of shepherd's pie and was working on seconds. "This really is quite good," he said. "You've never fixed this before?"

"Never," she said, and he could hear the amusement in her voice. "Did you skip lunch today?"

He stopped eating long enough to look up from his plate. Swallowing, he dabbed at his mouth with his napkin before answering. "The galley isn't fully stocked yet, and leaving the ship to get something to eat would have taken too much time. I wanted to get home at a decent hour tonight."

"I hope food wasn't your only consideration in coming home early," she said with a gleam in her eye before taking a sip of her drink.

"I'm sure that after all the sleep you got last night you should be well rested," he said, an answering gleam in his own eyes.

"Slept like a _baby_," she concurred, stressing the last word.

A slight frown crossed his features. He could tell she was up to something, but he hadn't figured out exactly what yet. As she took another sip from her glass, he pointed to the bottle in the ice bucket.

"I noticed there's no alcohol in this champagne," he said.

"That's right," Hoshi answered.

"Any particular reason we're having it tonight? Other than you might be worried that I'll get you drunk and take advantage of you?" he asked with a suggestive leer.

A coy look crossed her face and she answered, "I hadn't thought of that. But then, I didn't really want you to have to _baby_ me tonight."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Malcolm Reed, you really can be dense sometimes!"

Malcolm braced himself, sure that he had done something wrong but having no idea what it was. He was certain Hoshi would let him know, however.

She leaned toward him, but he saw no anger in her eyes. Instead, there was a slight grin on her face as she said in a low voice, "The doctor told me it would be best not to drink alcohol in my condition."

He looked at her blankly. "Your condition?" he repeated, a series of alarming possibilities running through his head. A doctor had told her not to drink alcohol. Was she ill?

"Malcolm," she said, sighing as he still didn't get it. "I'm pregnant. You're going to be a father."

Malcolm went stock still, staring into her eyes across the dinner table.

Finally, after a lifetime, he cleared his throat. "I could have sworn you said you were pregnant," he said slowly. "And I'm going to be a father."

Her grin became bigger. "There's nothing wrong with your hearing, dear," she said.

"How...?" he started, but stopped, continuing to gaze at her in puzzlement.

"Surely you know about the birds and the bees," she teased.

He uttered a low growl and tried again. "What I mean is -- weren't you on birth control?"

"It lapsed," she replied simply. "What with captaining a pirate crew, getting rid of a pirate leader, trying to keep from being killed, setting up the clinics, it just...slipped my mind."

"Slipped your mind!"

Hoshi's face fell. Her earlier playfulness had vanished, to be replaced by something else.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," she said, tears starting to well up as her bottom lip quivered. She dashed a hand across her eyes and sniffed.

"Hoshi!" Malcolm said, getting up from his chair and rushing to her side where he knelt and took one of her hands in his. "I'm not upset, just a little...surprised. I mean, I had no warning, and all of a sudden you tell me..."

She gave him a watery smile. "I didn't find out until last week, while you were on the way back from Earth," she said, sniffling. "I didn't want to tell you over a transmission. I wanted to wait until you got home. And then yesterday when you did get home, you were so wrapped up in the ship..."

"Oh, Hoshi!" he said, drawing her into his embrace and kissing her forehead. "That must have been terribly hard, talking with me and Trip about the wedding and knowing..." His voice trailed off.

He leaned back away from her but took hold of her shoulders. Looking her in the eye, he said seriously, "We've got to get married. Now."

She laughed. "It's going to have to wait a few more days, at least until I get back from Lanari."

"Cancel your trip!"

"Now, Malcolm. You know I can't do that."

He sighed and gave her shoulders a squeeze before releasing her and sitting back on his heels. "It's only -- what? -- four days?" At her nod, he continued, "As soon as you're back, we're heading for the local equivalent of a priest or minister or a justice of the peace or whomever it is on this planet who marries people."

"You know," she said rather slyly, he thought, "ship captains are empowered to peform marriage ceremonies."

"That would be rather awkward, wouldn't it?" he asked. "I can't very well perform the ceremony and marry you at the same time."

"I had someone else in mind," she said with a slight grin.

He stared at her until the realization hit him. "No wonder you didn't want him to be the best man!" he said. "You want Kleth to marry us?"

She nodded, not saying anything until he got used to the idea.

"A Klingon marrying us?" Malcolm said in astonishment. "I'm not sure about this. Although a Klingon ceremony is probably shorter than a human one, which is all for the best, I suppose. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if there is pain involved."

"We could be married aboard the Falcon or the Morning Star, whichever you prefer," she offered.

Malcolm laughed. "At least you're letting me have some say in this," he said. "And you've distracted me from the bigger shock here, you know."

He hugged her again and whispered in awe, "I'm going to be a father."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Malcolm had accompanied Hoshi to the flight field for her trip before he went to the Morning Star. He'd held every door for her, had carried her suitcase, and had asked several times if she was feeling all right. She hoped his constant solicitiousness would ease up soon. Right now, it was cute, but more than seven months of it would get on her nerves.

During the trip to Lanari on the commercial passenger liner, Hoshi's mind kept wandering back to the evening before, and Malcolm's reaction to her surprise announcement. Once he'd gotten over his initial shock, he'd been ecstatic.

For once they hadn't been interrupted by anything -- not Klingons, or chief engineers, or clinic personnel. They'd enjoyed an intimate evening alone, a new depth to their love-making with the realization of something they'd created together growing in her.

She sighed happily as she settled more comfortably into her passenger seat. It would take several hours to reach Lanari. Even though she knew she probably should be reviewing her upcoming presentation, she began to think about baby names again.

* * *

Malcolm was in engineering going over the specs for the phase cannons with Trip when the intercom whistled, followed by his name being paged.

He walked over to the comm panel by the hatch and pushed a button. "Reed here," he said.

"A Klingon ship has just assumed orbit and is keeping station with us," came the voice of his second-in-command, Mark Orwell. "The captain is...requesting...that we allow him to beam over."

Malcolm and Trip exchanged amused glances at Orwell's tactful phrasing. They both knew who was hailing. They also knew that the person in question was not requesting -- but demanding -- to be beamed aboard.

"That's fine, Mark. I know who it is," Malcolm said into the panel. "Tell Captain Kleth he's more than welcome to come aboard. I'll go to the transporter room and meet him."

"Aye, sir," Orwell replied.

Before the connection was cut, Malcolm and Trip heard a few choice mutterings from Orwell, a retired Starfleet operations officer.

"He'd better get used to dealin' with Klingons," Trip remarked.

"I heard that," came Slanea's voice from above.

Looking up, the men could see her peering over the rail at them from the upper level.

"I wanna be around when they meet," Trip muttered sotto voice to Malcolm.

"I heard that, too," Slanea said as she climbed down the ladder from the upper level. "Who is this Captain Kleth? It is a Klingon name."

"Kleth is the captain of the Falcon," Malcolm informed her. "He and I are business partners."

Slanea huffed as she reached the bottom of the ladder. "It is bad enough that I had to seek employment outside the Empire. But this Klingon, he must have no honor to form a partnership with a human."

Malcolm's face hardened, and beside him he could see Trip tense as well. No wonder there were so many arguments in engineering between the two. Not only had she just denigrated one of her own species without having met him, but she had slammed the whole human race doing it.

"Slanea," Malcolm said in a dangerously soft tone that signaled he was incredibly ticked off. "I would be careful around Kleth, if I were you. Of all the Klingons I have met, he is the one with the most honor." He stared at her for a moment before adding, "One word of advice -- don't ever bad-mouth him around Hoshi."

Slanea stared after him as he turned on his heel and left engineering. Looking at Trip, she asked curiously, "Who is Hoshi?"

Imagining the cat fights that could occur between the two females, Trip gave her a grin. "Hoshi is Captain Reed's mate, I guess you Klingons would call her."

He started to follow Malcolm, but stopped as if he had thought of something. Turning back, he said, "Oh, and by the way -- Hoshi once commanded the Falcon, the Klingon warbird that's in orbit with us. The entire crew, except for Malcolm and me and Hoshi, were Klingon. Kleth was Hoshi's first officer."

Trip enjoyed Slanea's look of astonishment before he turned away again and hurried to catch up with Malcolm.

The Morning Star's transporter had been installed down the corridor from the engine room. Malcolm stepped up to the controls and keyed in the appropriate sequence to receive the Falcon's beam. In a few moments, Kleth's formidable figure began coalescing on the platform.

Both Trip and Malcolm had to look up to see Kleth's face. They would have had to have done so even if the platform wasn't elevated. Kleth was a good head taller than Malcolm, and was easily twice his weight. Add to that Kleth's dark flowing hair that came down past his shoulders, an impressive beard, and full Klingon battle garb -- Malcolm was glad he and Kleth were friends, because he didn't think he'd survive being his enemy.

"Ma'Com!" Kleth shouted as he stepped down from the platform. He embraced Malcolm in a breath-stopping hug and pounded him on the back.

Pulling back, he looked at the dazed human and said, "You are looking well. This work agrees with you, eh?"

Trip hastily held out a hand to fend off the Klingon as he turned toward him. Kleth wasn't dissuaded at all, and batted Trip's hand away, reaching out to encompass the engineer in another rib-cracking hug.

"It's not just the work that makes Malcolm so happy," Trip croaked when he got his breath back.

Kleth looked back and forth at the two humans. "There is something you are not telling me?" he asked curiously. "Perhaps you have taken your new ship into battle already, and come away victorious?"

"Kleth," Malcolm said, trying not to laugh. "That's not the kind of business we're in."

Kleth shrugged and replied with a straight face, "One can only hope."

"Come on," Trip said. "Let's show ya around."

Kleth nodded, falling into step with Malcolm as Trip led the way. "Where is my mistress?" the Klingon asked as Trip turned down the corridor in the direction of engineering.

"Kleth, you really have to stop calling her that," Malcolm said. "She's my mate, you know. People will start to talk."

"Bah! I do not care about talk."

"I normally don't, either, but there's been a change in our situation," Malcolm said.

Kleth looked at him expectantly, and Malcolm took a deep breath, bracing himself for the Klingon's response. "Hoshi's going to have a baby."

Kleth stopped dead in his tracks, slowly turning his head to look squarely at Malcolm. A sound reminiscent of distant thunder rumbled in Kleth's chest and a grin split his face before he tossed his head back and laughed in delight.

That wasn't so bad, thought Malcolm. Unfortunately, he relaxed his guard too early and couldn't dodge the friendly -- albeit Klingon-strength -- clap on the shoulder that Kleth gave him. To top it all off, Slanea was just coming out the hatch from the engine room when Kleth's hand connected and Malcolm went flying, only to come up painfully against the corridor's bulkhead.

"How dare you assault my captain!" the enraged female Klingon yelled and took off at a run to barrel into a surprised Kleth, knocking him to the deck and pummeling him with her fists.

"No, Slanea! Stop!" Malcolm cried out, rubbing his shoulder. He shot a glance at Trip, who had wisely kept his distance and was watching the tussle with a wide smile.

"I knew there'd be fireworks when those two got together," the engineer said, nimbly stepping to the side as the tussling pair rolled in his direction.

Drawing on his Starfleet training as well as his time spent among Klingons, Malcolm took a deep breath and shouted, "Slanea! Stand down. By order of your captain!"

Slanea immediately stopped struggling with Kleth, although she gave him one last shake before releasing her grasp on his upper arm. She bared her teeth at the Klingon before getting to her feet.

"He attacked you!" Slanea said accusingly to Malcolm.

"No," Malcolm said ruefully, "he was congratulating me."

Kleth was pulling himself up from the floor, a sneer on his face as he looked down from his considerable height at Slanea. "Who is this witch?" he asked Malcolm as he looked her up and down.

Slanea snarled back at him, raising her hand preparatory to strike, and Malcolm stepped between the two Klingons. "She's going to be my chief engineer, if her probationary period is satisfactory," he said.

Kleth flicked his glance over to Trip. "And you don't resent this?" he asked the lanky human.

"Hey, I'm only gonna be here a few months, and while I am, I'm in charge of the refit," he answered smugly. "I also have final say on Slanea's probationary period. So, Kleth, do me a favor -- don't damage her too much."

Malcolm cautiously stepped out from between the two Klingons and took up a stance where he could watch both of them. Kleth's chest was beginning that strange rumble again which meant he was about to laugh, and Malcolm took another step backward, just in case Kleth felt the need to congratulate him again.

He saw several emotions pass over Slanea's face -- typical Klingon irritation as she watched Kleth, but also surprise and calculation after Trip's announcement that he had final say on her probation. He would be willing to bet that Slanea was about to make some changes in her relationship with his interim chief engineer.

"So, you and Hoshi have decided to start your own house?" Kleth asked as they resumed the walk to engineering.

"Actually, I had very little say in the matter," Malcolm remarked, causing Kleth to laugh again.

Malcolm didn't miss the glint in Slanea's eye as they passed her. Just what he needed, he thought with a sigh -- another scheming Klingon.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

By the third official's speech, Hoshi was aware of a fundamental difference between the governments of Estab and Lanari. The government of Estab was working for the betterment of its people. On Lanari, the government sought to take advantage of its people whenever it could.

She'd had minimal contact with the Estabi government when she'd set up her clinics in the last year. Every time she had had to work with the government, however, the persons involved, from lowly clerk up to head of the Estabi health ministry, had been unfailingly cordial and helpful. All had been working toward the goal of a better life for everyone on the planet.

On the other hand, the Lanari government, no matter how much its officials tried to downplay it, had a different motive for wanting her help in establishing health clinics. It was a public relations gambit to offset its ineffectual, often cruel, policies.

As if that would blot out all the miseries in the Lanari people's lives, she thought, remembering the ride from the airfield a few hours earlier. The signs of poverty were easy to see -- poor housing, ill-kept properties, boarded up storefronts, groups of idle people gathered on street corners who watched through hooded eyes as her escorted vehicle swept toward the city's business district.

Even more indicative of the planetary situation had been the protesters outside the government hall where these endless speeches were going on. About thirty Lanari dressed in little more than rags had been standing off to the side of the stairs leading into the hall. Many of them had been holding placards that demanded government reform. The two Lanari aides who had met her at the airfield had hurried her past the silent, sullen protesters.

She sighed. She had been stuck in this excuse of a consultation for two hours now, and she hadn't been consulted yet. Her gaze traveled down the row of dignitaries seated at the long table, and estimated the meeting would take another two hours if all of them were to speak.

As the current speaker finished and was moving to sit down, Hoshi hastily stood up before another official could go to the podium at the head of the table. All heads swiveled in her direction.

"I find this very interesting," she said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. "What would be most helpful, however, is on-site inspection of what facilities are currently available for health care for your people. I can make a better determination of what you need after that."

There were some murmurings from around the table, and D'rima, the health minister, stood up to face her. "Of course. That is on the agenda for tomorrow," he said amicably. "In the meantime, we have prepared information--"

"There's no need to present it in this manner," she cut in. To soothe the ruffled feelings she could see her words had provoked, she added, "I do appreciate the effort you have put in to your presentations. But a simple download that I can review would suffice."

There was a long pause before D'rima dipped his head in acquiescence, but not before she could see the disapproval in his eyes. "If you think that is best, that is what we will do." An insincere smile crossed his puckered face. "Already you have improved our method of doing things."

Hoshi wondered if he thought she was a fool. If she'd known this undertaking was going to be so tedious, with the officials trying to make themselves look good, she would have postponed her visit. All she wanted right now was to get her work done and go home to Malcolm.

D'rima snapped his fingers, and the assembled officials rose and begin filing out of the room. D'rima came to stand by her, his obsequious manner irritating her as he bowed slightly.

"Come. We have arranged suitable visitor quarters for someone of your stature," he said, and Hoshi bit her cheek to keep from laughing. She knew he was referring to her work with the medical clinics on Estab, but his statement also could be taken as an insult. She was at least thirty centimeters shorter than the average Lanari. Maybe she would be shown to small quarters, she thought with an inward grin.

She and D'rima were joined by the same two aides who had brought her from the airfield. As they walked out into the corridor, the health minister began going over the itinerary for the next day. Hoshi listened with only half an ear, glancing at the artwork on the walls. The paintings were bright and cheerful, in direct contrast to the conditions outside the government building.

Better health care could be a step in the right direction for the government as well as the people, she knew. Perhaps in time, it could lead to reform in other areas.

She sighed heavily as they exited the building, seeing the protestors still in place by the steps. Her eye was caught by a woman holding a small baby, obviously malnourished, its stomach distended, and Hoshi felt a pang of sorrow. If circumstances were different, Hoshi knew, it could easily be her standing there with a baby in dire need of help. She felt a renewed determination to help these people despite their government's less than above-board reasons for doing so.

Hoshi hurried to catch up with D'rima and the two aides. When she had paused to stare at the woman and child, they had gotten a few steps ahead of her in their haste to get by the protestors.

Hoshi turned for one last look before getting into the vehicle waiting at the curb. She saw the woman watching her, and felt a chill run down her spine.

* * *

"No, the connector needs to be put here," Trip said, gesturing toward a junction near the top bulkhead. 

Slanea glared at him from under the starboard-side phase cannon. "No, it should be down here, closer to the power source," she said, pointing with a spanner toward an open panel.

As Trip tried to stare her down, he watched her expression change from its usual haughty superiority to something resembling uncertainty. She lowered the spanner and looked away, and he heard her mutter something.

"Come again?" he asked.

She looked back at him questioningly, tilting her head as her brow furrowed in confusion at his words.

"That means I didn't hear or understand ya," he said, trying to keep a straight face.

She looked at a point over his shoulder, refusing to meet his eyes. "I said, 'Maybe you are right this time.'"

"Come again?" Trip asked in amazement.

When her eyes squinted and he saw her open her mouth to speak, he cut in. "The first time, I didn't hear ya. This time, I just can't believe what ya said."

"Why is it hard to believe?" she asked, staring at him.

Did they need to work on the environmental controls, too, Trip wondered, tugging at the neck of his jumpsuit. It was getting awfully warm in the cramped area surrounding the cannon. He ran a hand over his forehead, wiping away the sweat that was beading up. He used the movement as a stalling tactic as he tried to tactfully phrase what he wanted to say.

"Well," he started, looking anywhere but at Slanea, who was sitting back on her haunches, hunkered down under the phase cannon assembly and watching him intently. "You have to admit, we mix about as well as oil and water."

He risked a glance at her and saw her puzzling over the idiom for a moment until comprehension dawned. Her eyebrows rose and she began to nod.

"Yes," she said. "That is an appropriate description of our working relationship. You have a very...colorful...way of speaking your language."

He gave her a grin, which she returned. For a Klingon, she had a nice smile, but he immediately shoved away that thought. The last thing he needed was a physical relationship with a female warrior who could probably rip him apart with her bare pinkie.

Now might be a good time, though, to press his advantage -- as far as working with her, that was.

"Um, Slanea? Could we agree to try to be a little more civil to each other when we work together?" he asked.

In true Klingon fashion, her response was blunt and to the point. "You do not like to argue?"

"No, I do not like to argue."

Looking at him, she nodded after a moment. "If that is your order, then I will follow it, since you are my superior officer."

"No, no!" he said hastily. "I don't want you to be civil because it's an order. You're missin' the point here. ... See, I find it more productive not to be argumentative, not to mention it's easier on my mental well-being."

"So you are asking me...civilly...to refrain from arguing with you?"

Trip grinned. "Now you're gettin' the idea."

She began closing up the access panel. "If it keeps your mental state from deteriorating, I will agree," she said.

Trip shook his head. He doubted he would ever understand Klingons. At least she'd agreed to put the connector at the spot he believed was best. It was a start.

* * *

Malcolm closed the communicator and looked at Kleth where he was hunched under the port-side phase cannon. 

"They're putting the connector in the junction in the overhead bulkhead," Malcolm said.

Kleth moved out from under the cannon and handed him a spanner. "In Klingon ships, such assemblies would be connected down here," he said.

Malcolm grinned as he took the spanner. "I'm sure Slanea told him that," he said. "That's probably why it took so long for them to let us know where to put it."

"Tell me, Ma'Com," the big Klingon said. "How is it that you have a Klingon female as a member of your crew?"

"I was wondering when you'd ask," Malcolm said, grunting as he loosened the connection plate. "She was at the merchant marine employment office at Estab when I went to check their listings. Found several crewmembers that way."

Kleth mulled over the information before remarking, "It is strange that she would be so far from Klingon space. Did she say why?"

"No, and I didn't ask," Malcolm said. "All that mattered was that she had no criminal record. She also has the required certification for operation of a warp engine."

Kleth rumbled softly to himself.

"Excuse me?" Malcolm asked as he tightened the connector in place.

"You need to leave?"

"No, no!" Malcolm said hastily. "'Excuse me' is a polite expression to indicate I didn't hear you or didn't understand what you said. I was wondering what you were muttering about."

"Ah," Kleth said. "I was muttering about Slanea. She has a lot of fire, that one."

"Don't all Klingons?" asked Malcolm with a smile.

"Excuse me?" Kleth asked, his deep voice even lower than usual, causing Malcolm to laugh.

Malcolm looked down at his Klingon partner. "You have to admit, Slanea is attractive...for a Klingon."

"You have your own mate," Kleth said. "Keep your eyes off your chief engineer-to-be."

"Do I detect some interest on your part?"

Malcolm could hardly believe it -- Kleth sighed. He didn't know Klingons did that. He was even more surprised at Kleth's next words.

"It has been a long time since I have seen a woman with such a powerful spirit, and she interests me," Kleth said. "First, my duty to our mistress to seek and kill the p'taq who killed Ma'Hew, and then the glorious fight..." A smile crossed Kleth's face as he became lost in memories of that time, but it was soon replaced by a frown. "Now, I am in 'business' again. I find I have time to think about other aspects of my life which are lacking."

"And you're lacking a mate?" Malcolm asked as he stepped down off the short ladder he had used to get to the overhead bulkhead.

"As you humans say, I am not getting any younger," Kleth said. "I find I desire to start my own house."

"And you are considering my engineer?"

"Yes," Kleth said honestly. "She has the fire, and she is strong. Not many could knock me down the way she did. But first I must win her."

All sorts of images flashed through Malcolm's head at his last remark. He had no idea how Klingons went about courting. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, in any case.

"Just so long as winning her doesn't involve damage to the Morning Star," Malcolm said with a grin.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Hoshi looked around her guest room. It was bigger than her old captain's cabin aboard the Falcon, but not by much. Maybe she should have taken D'rima's remark about a place for someone of her stature at face value -- she wasn't that big, and neither was this shabby little room.

At least she could put her feet up for a while. Once she had shooed D'rima and the two aides out, she sat down on the threadbare couch. She sighed blissfully as she kicked her shoes off and propped her feet up on the low, rickety table in front of the couch.

Was that swelling around her ankles already? From her hurried research into pregnancy after the doctor had confirmed her suspicion, she knew that water retention could be a problem, but usually not until much later. She was only five weeks along, after all.

Maybe it was from her gross inactivity today. She had been seated all morning on the flight, and had been hustled into the vehicle for the drive to the government building, where she had sat for a good portion of the afternoon. She needed to pay more attention to exercise, but right now she was happy to have her feet up and be alone.

D'rima had told her someone would come by later to take her to a banquet in her honor. She grimaced as she flexed her toes. She'd much rather eat alone in her room and go over the information that D'rima had put together for her to review.

Just a few days, she told herself, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Once her business here was concluded, she seriously doubted she'd come back to Lanari again until after the baby was born.

Thinking about the baby led her back to the topic of names. She wondered what Malcolm would think of Cedric or Basil? Maybe Nigel. They were all terribly British. They all sounded somewhat stuffy as well. She grinned, remembering that she used to think Malcolm's name was typical "stiff-upper-lip" British. That was before she got to know him better, and found out his calm, cool exterior had an incredibly molten core.

She was beginning to doze when a knock at the door roused her. Surely it wasn't time for the banquet already. Getting to her feet, she brushed her hair back into place as she went to the door.

Two Lanaris dressed in government uniforms were standing on the other side. These two weren't the same ones who had been her escorts previously. Perhaps the originals had finished their shifts for the day.

"Yes?" she asked.

"We are sorry to intrude," the taller of the two said, "but there has been a mistake."

"A mistake?" she asked, having no idea what he was talking about.

"Yes, a mistake." He gulped nervously. "This is not the proper room for you."

He peered past her into the room, craning his neck to see.

"Are you looking for someone?" she asked.

"Ah, no," he said, and glanced at the other aide who nodded. "Please, gather your things and we will show you to a more appropriate suite of rooms."

A suite? Well, that would definitely be an improvement over this hole in the wall. She gestured for them to enter and went to get her suitcase, which she hadn't bothered to unpack yet.

One of the aides took the case from her and she went to slip on her shoes. A quick glance around the room assured her she wasn't forgetting anything.

"I'm ready," she said, and the taller of the two aides gestured for her to precede him out the door.

Instead of going to the main elevator, she was guided to the rear of the building to the service elevator. A third Lanari was waiting for them, holding the elevator door open.

At her questioning glance, the aide who seemed to be the spokesman said, "Your new rooms are on this side. It is closer to use this elevator."

This was a little unorthodox, she thought as she stepped into the elevator, but the fewer steps she had to walk the happier her tired feet would be.

She watched as the Lanari who had been holding the door pushed a button on the control panel. The elevator began to descend, and her mind registered the Lanari word on the lit button: Basement.

Why were they going to the basement? She turned to ask the tall aide when a cloth was clamped over her mouth. She struggled, but something was on the cloth, something sickly sweet which burned her nostrils, and she felt like the elevator was beginning to spin.

She tried to hold her breath, but it was too late. She'd already inhaled enough of the substance to make her dizzy, and all the colors in her vision began to fade into each other and turn gray.

* * *

"Have you heard from Hoshi?" Trip asked as he and Malcolm took the turbolift to the bridge. 

"No, not yet," Malcolm said. "But then, I really don't expect to hear from her until she's ready to come back. She said she would probably be too busy to deal with the Lanari communication system."

"I hear they're kinda backward over there."

"That's the impression I got, too," Malcolm said. "Is it any wonder they want her to help set up some medical facilities?"

The door of the 'lift opened onto the bridge. Orwell, who had been seated in the captain's chair, rose and turned to greet them.

"You know," Malcolm said, trying to keep the amusement out of his voice, "you don't have to sit there when you've got bridge duty and we're doing nothing more than orbiting a planet."

An older man with red hair and a beard, Orwell didn't look amused. "Force of habit, sir."

"And don't call me 'sir.'"

"Yes, sir."

Trip snickered as Malcolm sighed. "You're the one who wanted ex-Starfleet personnel for your ship," Trip told him as they walked into the captain's office through a door off to the side of the bridge.

"Obviously not all Starfleet personnel are as relaxed as you," Malcolm told him dryly.

As they entered his office, Malcolm took a moment to glance back at the bridge. Orwell was already seated again in the captain's chair. Rolling his eyes, he led Trip into the office and the door slid shut behind him.

"I thought having ex-Starfleet people would be a good idea," Malcolm thought. "Now I'm not so sure."

"Why's that?" Trip asked as he sat down in a chair facing the desk and propped his feet up on it.

"A little discipline is a good thing," he said, pointedly looking at Trip's feet. "But I want a comfortable working relationship with my crew. Orwell's a little stiff."

"Isn't that kinda like the pot callin' the kettle black?"

Malcolm grunted as he went around the desk and sat down, reaching out to pull the computer screen closer. "I'll just have to give them some time." He gave Trip a grin as he continued, "I suppose it's too much to expect the kind of camaraderie that we had with the crew on board the Falcon."

"You call that camaraderie?" Trip asked, incredulous. "I thought for sure they'd kill us at first."

Malcolm chuckled. "It eventually worked out. Maybe it was the stress of the whole situation at the time that pulled us together."

"Yeah," Trip said, "but somehow I don't see the Morning Star takin' on an entire pirate fleet, so it might take a while longer to get that comfortable workin' relationship you want with your crew."

Any further comment was stalled by the beep of the comm panel on Malcolm's desk. Thumbing a button on the controls, Malcolm said, "Reed here."

"Sir?" It was Orwell, and Malcolm rolled his eyes again at the form of address the man used. "There's a transmission from the Falcon for you."

"Put it through," Malcolm said.

"Ma'Com?" The deep, gravelly voice was unmistakable.

"Yes, Kleth?"

"I am formally requesting of you, the captain of the Morning Star, for permission to entertain you, Trip, and Slanea at dinner this evening aboard the Falcon."

Trip stifled a laugh as Malcolm peered at the speaker as if it were possessed. He mouthed "What?" at Trip before clearing his throat.

"Ah, Kleth," he said into the speaker, "if you want to see Slanea, that's fine with me, but shouldn't you be asking her?"

"She is an unmated female outside the Empire," Kleth's voice came back.

"Tell me somethin' I didn't know," Trip interjected sarcastically, and Malcolm shushed him to hear Kleth's next words.

"As her captain," Kleth continued, "you are responsible for her, as is Trip, who is her superior officer in engineering. You and Trip are her protectors and her mentors."

Now it was Trip's turn to mouth "What?" as he gawked in astonishment at Malcolm.

"If I wish to win her, I must have permission from both of you to press my suit," came Kleth's voice again.

"Kleth," Malcolm said. "You know this isn't a Klingon vessel. You don't have to conform to Klingon ways in this matter if you don't want to."

"But I must. Honor demands it." Kleth's distinctive vocal rumble came over the speaker. "Ma'Com, do not demean my request."

Malcolm threw up his hands in surrender, a gesture unseen by Kleth but appreciated by Trip, who grinned. "I guess we'll be your dinner guests this evening, then," Malcolm said. A thought struck him. "But, Kleth, what happens if Slanea doesn't want to come?"

"You are her captain. Order her."

Trip could no longer contain his laughter, and Malcolm had to raise his voice for Kleth to hear him. "We'll be there," he said, and cut the connection.

Looking over at Trip, who was laughing so hard that he was clutching his sides, Malcolm said, "I'm delegating the responsibility of telling Slanea about her dinner date to you."

"What!"

"You heard me," Malcolm said with satisfaction, steepling his fingers as he rested his elbows on his desk. "Under Klingon custom, if I understand it correctly, she has to obey you. If not, you get to fight her about it. So go tell her, and make sure she's ready on time."

Trip grumbled as he got to his feet. "If it weren't for the entertainment value this dinner is gonna have, I'd really be ticked at you right now."

He walked to the door, but turned to add a parting shot. "If she wants to fight, though, I'm sendin' her to you."

Trip was out the door before Malcolm could think of a suitable reply.

* * *

Hoshi's head hurt. There was a throbbing at her temples that felt like she was getting over an all-night drunk. She'd only done it once, and that had been enough to convince her that it wasn't worth ever doing again. 

She opened her eyes a crack, trying to figure out where she was. She remembered getting on the service elevator at the hotel, and a hand clamping a nasty cloth over her mouth. She must have been knocked out, she thought as she tried to work up enough saliva to swallow and ease her dry throat.

She was lying on a cot in a small, dimly lit room. Glancing around slowly, she moved only her eyes, but didn't see anyone. There was a small table and a chair, but no windows that she could see. Across the room was a door, an old-fashioned one to judge by the wood panels and doorknob.

She decided to find out if she was locked in, and swung her legs off the cot. Sitting up, she was swept by a wave of nausea, and she held one hand to her mouth and the other over her stomach until the feeling subsided.

"Sorry," said a soft male voice from off to the side, and she jerked her head around to see a Lanari seated in a chair that had been out of her line of sight. "The concoction we used to incapacitate you sometimes has that effect. Not being a Lanari, we weren't sure how it would affect you."

Hoshi swallowed. "What do you want with me?" she asked, her voice hoarse and rusty-sounding to her ears.

"What do we want with you?" the man repeated. "Why, nothing at all. We just don't want you to work with the government."


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Hey, fififolle! Good to see you're back for the sequel. I appreciate your comments and that you're enjoying the story. Anyone else, feel free to comment also.

CHAPTER 7

Malcolm was waiting by the Morning Star's transporter when Trip arrived with a reluctant Slanea in tow.

"Captain's orders," he heard Trip tell her.

"Which captain?" Slanea asked sarcastically. "My captain or that other captain?"

"Both, actually," Malcolm answered, earning an outraged look from the Klingon engineer and a relieved sigh from the human one.

"You have no right--"

"I have every right," Malcolm cut her off harshly.

He took a moment to appraise her appearance before continuing. She had changed from her usual drab jumpsuit into something more...well, Klingon, was the only way he could describe it.

She was wearing a two-piece outfit that looked like it was made of aged black leather, worn and comfortable. The skin-tight pants were tucked into black boots, while the long-sleeved tunic, belted at the waist, reached below her hips. He didn't think the tunic was buttoned, but rather overlapped in front, held in place by a belt of the same material.

She'd also taken pains with her grooming, he noticed. Her long, black hair was tied back, with a tendril dropping down on either side of her face. There were also traces of makeup on her face.

"I have every right," he repeated in a more reasonable tone. "Since you are an unmated female outside the Empire, I am responsible for you, as I am your captain. Trip is also responsible for you, as he is your superior officer in engineering."

Slanea's face had taken on a resigned look as he talked, and he knew she understood what he was talking about.

Encouraged that she wasn't arguing, he continued, "A Klingon male has expressed interest in you. I believe Kleth to be an honorable man, one worthy of you."

A bemused smile transformed Slanea's face, but it disappeared at Malcolm's next words. "This meeting tonight is in part to find out if you are worthy of him."

At her downcast expression, Malcolm wondered if he'd hit a sore spot. He didn't know anything about her past, and frankly, he didn't care. As long as she could perform her engineering duties, it didn't matter to him.

"Slanea," he said. "I don't think this is such a bad idea. All I ask is that we have dinner aboard the Falcon with Captain Kleth. What else may happen is up to you. I won't order you to do anything you don't want to do."

For once, Slanea appeared to be at a loss for words. She nodded in agreement, and moved to step up onto the transporter platform.

"Wish I could figure out how you do that," Trip murmured as Malcolm input the commands for beaming.

"Do what?"

"Make her speechless."

Malcolm smirked. "I'm not telling unless you tell me how you managed to get her dressed up and to the transporter on time."

Trip blushed. "I'd rather not."

"Have it your way," Malcolm said as he and Trip stepped up on the platform, aware that Slanea was watching them. Just before the beam took them, he whispered in Trip's direction, "You're the one who has to listen to her all day."

* * *

Hoshi was groggy from whatever had been used to knock her out. As she tried to sort out what had happened, she wondered apprehensively if whatever drug had been used on her had hurt her unborn child. 

"Who are you?" she asked the Lanari male who was with her in the room where she had awoken.

He favored her with a small smile. "I'm sorry," he said smoothly. "I am being rather rude, aren't I? I know all about you, and you don't have the faintest idea who I am."

She looked at him. He was of average Lanari height, which meant he was probably about thirty centimeters taller than her. His hair was a light brown shade, and the irises of his dark eyes were rimmed with a gold tinge, typical of most of his species. He had the slight cheek ridges all Lanari had on their faces. He wasn't heavy, but he wasn't slightly built, either.

The best word to describe him physically, Hoshi thought, was average. But the averageness of his build was overpowered by something compelling about his personality.

"My name is F'linu," he said after she had finished taking in his appearance. "I am one of the leaders of an opposition movement."

"Opposed to the government, you mean," she said.

"That's right," he said.

"And you don't want me to help the government set up medical clinics."

"Right again."

"Even though medical clinics would benefit all Lanari," she pressed on, beginning to wonder if he was going to volunteer any information that she couldn't guess first.

"That would have to be seen," F'linu told her with a crooked grin. "I sincerely doubt once the clinics opened -- provided they even reached that stage -- that the most needy people would see any benefit." His voice became brittle as he continued, "As with everything else the government has its sticky little fingers in, only government officials and the rich would benefit."

He stood up and paced over to the door before speaking again. "The majority of Lanari are miserable, and it is because of the greed, corruption, and blatant mismanagement within the governing council."

"What's that got to do with me?" Hoshi asked. "I came here to help the people of Lanari."

"Of course you did, but you didn't know any better." Leaning back against the door, he laughed derisively before he continued. "The government needs to look good. What better way to improve the lives of the downtrodden than by promising to provide better health care? And who better to organize it than someone who has successfully implemented a similar project on another world? But it's just a way to keep the people in line. They'll be mollified for a time, thinking the government is actually doing something to help them."

Hoshi shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position, but it wasn't easy sitting on the cot. Seeing her discomfort, F'linu stepped over and held out his hand.

"Please, let me help you," he said.

She looked up at him. She didn't see anything in his expression to cause her to mistrust him, but there wasn't anything there to trust, either. Hesitantly, she put her hand in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

Her earlier supposition had been correct. He was quite a bit taller than she was. The top of her head came only to his chin. Standing in such close proximity, she was overwhelmed by a sudden awareness of his masculinity. It didn't help that he continued to hold her hand.

Pulling her hand out of his, she turned her back on him and took a few steps, trying to distance herself from him. She was relieved when he didn't follow her.

"You must be wondering what is going to happen to you now," he said.

She turned back to face him and nodded.

"You are going to be the guest of the Lanari Liberation League," he said.

The name didn't mean anything to her, but she didn't know much about Lanari to begin with. She vowed to herself that, if she ever left Estab again, she would research her destination more thoroughly than she had for this trip.

She hadn't been here a day and she had been kidnapped by an insurgent organization. What was worse, from the little information she had gleaned, was that she didn't know who the "bad guys" were. The government was obviously not a good one. She had been coming to that conclusion on her own before F'linu's group had kidnapped her.

But was his group any better? If F'linu was telling the truth, his group was concerned with correcting the ills that plagued the government. They sure picked a half-assed way to go about it, though. Whether the Lanari Liberation League was more interested in promoting its own goals, as was the case with many rebels, instead of bettering the lives of all Lanari remained to be seen.

She wished she had never taken on this project. It was bad enough that she gotten caught up in Lanari's civil strife, with two opposing sides eager to use her as a pawn, but she had other considerations now. She had to think of the baby.

Hugging her arms around herself, she said, "I want to go home."

"That's not possible," F'linu said.

"Why not?"

"You can be of use to us," he replied.

Hoshi felt her temper rise at his words. "You said you don't want anything other than to keep me from helping the government. If you don't want me to set up the medical clinics, I don't see how I can be of any possible use to you," she said angrily.

"A number of things come to mind," he said, and his speculative look was like a dash of cold water on her anger, chilling her to the bone.

Before he could elaborate, there was a knock at the door. F'linu opened it only wide enough to see who was outside, and had a quick, hushed conversation. Hoshi could only pick up a few of the words, something about the time and a meeting.

F'linu opened the door the rest of the way but turned to face her.

"I have to leave," he said. "Very shortly someone will be along with something for you to eat."

"But, what's going to happen to me?"

"As I said before, you are our guest." His face suddenly hardened. "Behave yourself, and you'll be treated well."

What he left unspoken was a threat that came through loud and clear. If she didn't cooperate, there would be consequences.

With a sinking feeling, she watched as he walked out of the room and closed the door. She could hear the click of a lock from where she was standing.

* * *

With a sense of deja vu, Malcolm walked into the captain's quarters aboard the Falcon. It seemed strange not to see Hoshi seated at the desk where he had seen her so many times. 

Involuntarily his eyes moved to the bed, and he recalled the times they had spent there as well.

He tried not to sigh. Hoshi had only been gone one day, and he missed her. He wished the trip to Lanari hadn't been scheduled so soon after he'd come back from Earth with the Morning Star. They'd had so little time together before she'd had to leave. And he was still getting used to the idea that they were going to have a child.

At least it would be over and done with in a few more days. Hoshi would be back home and they could get on with their private lives. Still looking at the bed, he smiled, unaware that Kleth was watching him.

"Ma'Com?"

Kleth's bass rumble pulled his attention back to the present, and he looked over to find the tall Klingon regarding him thoughtfully.

"She'll be back soon," Kleth said. "But you have your own captain's cabin aboard your ship now. Please use that to welcome her back."

The feeling of deja vu intensified as Malcolm reared back and slugged Kleth in the arm as hard as he could. Kleth's eyes widened in pleased surprise and he laughed.

"You have been aboard the Falcon barely five minutes and already you are becoming Klingon again," the massive warrior said happily.

Malcolm didn't say anything as he rubbed his knuckles which hurt from hitting the muscular arm. His blow hadn't budged Kleth a fraction, and he'd put all his strength into it. At least he'd managed to duck out of the way when Kleth took a return swing at him.

Kleth turned his attention to Trip, who was entering the cabin with Slanea.

"Ah, Trip!" Kleth said as he reached out and smacked the engineer on the arm.

Trip winced. Rubbing his now bruised appendage, he said, "Would ya knock it off, Kleth? I need this arm."

"And Slanea," Kleth said, looking at the third member of the party and taking in her appearance with an appreciative lift of his eyebrow. "I am glad you are able to grace our company."

"I did not have a choice," she muttered, staring him straight in the eye.

Kleth stared back and then burst out laughing. "Oh, I like you very much! Come! You will sit by me at the table."

Trip had to give Slanea a nudge to get her moving. At his touch, she whipped her head around to snarl at him, but the snarl changed to something much softer, and she actually smiled at Trip. To Malcolm's astonishment -- and Trip's -- she reached over and took her fellow engineer's hand and tugged him toward the table.

This didn't bode well, Malcolm thought. He watched as Slanea made sure Trip was seated next to her, fussing over him and not looking at Kleth who was waiting to sit on her other side. He could tell from Trip's expression that he didn't know what was going on, either.

Slanea could be trying to use Trip to make Kleth jealous, Malcolm realized. Or, she could just be buttering him up, trying to improve the report he would give at the end of her probationary period. Or, she could be reacting in a typical Klingon manner, but since he didn't know much about Klingons in social settings, that reasoning could be off by a light year.

As he sat down, he released the sigh he'd been holding back earlier. He decided not to try to figure out what Slanea was doing. He'd just enjoy the dinner in the company of his friends.

"Blood wine!" Kleth said, opening a flagon and pouring a hefty amount in his cup. "Our meal will be here shortly."

"Is there by any chance going to be gagh?" Trip asked.

"Of course!"

"That's what I was afraid of," said the human, looking a little green. Casting a forlorn look at Malcolm, he added, "Knew I shoulda brought a ration pack."

"How are you surviving aboard a human ship, Slanea?" Kleth asked as he filled her cup. "I myself have first-hand experience that they like their food dead."

She regarded him for a moment before turning her eyes back to Trip. "I have developed a taste for certain things which are...human."

Malcolm didn't know whether to watch Kleth or Trip. Slanea's comment seemed to have thrown both of them off balance. He took a sip of blood wine to hide his amusement, and settled on watching Trip, who had blushed profusely before turning white as a sheet as the implication of what particular human things she liked hit him.

"No, you haven't!" Trip said.

"Yes, I have," she contradicted him with a dazzling smile. "I have just never told you."

Malcolm looked over at Kleth, who was watching the two engineers with undisguised interest and no small amount of jealousy. He was wondering whether he should intervene and tell Slanea to behave when Kleth spoke.

"You two act as if you are to mate," the Klingon captain said.

"What!" Trip stood up quickly, knocking his chair over and jerking his arm away from Slanea, who had been stroking it.

"Your conversation, the arguing, is a prelude to mating," Kleth explained.

"Maybe among Klingons, but not among humans," Trip protested indignantly. "The last thing I want to do is mate with Slanea."

"What!" Now it was Slanea's turn to jump up, outrage written on her face. "You do not find me desirable?"

As Trip spluttered for an answer to that loaded question, Malcolm spoke up. "Slanea," he said. "As your captain, I order you to behave."

She turned shocked eyes to him. "But you said you wouldn't order me to do anything I did not want to do. And I do not want to behave."

Malcolm closed his eyes in exasperation. How had she managed to twist around the meaning of what he had said earlier? As he was seeking the right words to defuse the situation, there was a beep from the comm panel on Kleth's desk.

Kleth stood up and marched to his desk. "Yes?" he said into the panel after depressing a button.

"We are receiving a transmission from Estab for Captain Reed," came the voice of Kleth's first officer.

Shoving his chair back from the table, Malcolm got to his feet and joined Kleth at the desk. "This is Captain Reed," he said.

The click of a new connection was heard, followed by a wavery voice. "This is Petrania, director of the Rawala clinic."

"Yes, Petrania. Hoshi has spoken of you," Malcolm said.

"I didn't know who else to contact."

"Is there a problem?" Malcolm asked. "You know that Hoshi is on Lanari right now."

"Yes, that's the problem," Petrania replied. "I have been trying to reach her about something here at the clinic. At first, none of the Lanari government officials I talked to would let me talk to her. And now..."

As her voice trailed off, Malcolm felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. "And now what, Petrania?"

There was a muffled sob over the comm before her voice returned. "Now, they say she has been kidnapped."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

The thin, gruel-like stew had pieces of meat in it. At least Hoshi thought it was meat. The only thing she was sure of was that she couldn't eat any of it.

Only a short time had passed after F'linu left and the food had been brought to her. The smell had wafted across the room to her as the door opened, and it was all she could do to fight down her rising bile at the greasy aroma. Despite her request to take it away, the Lanari who had brought the bowl of stew left it sitting on the table.

Hoshi took one of the two chairs and moved it as far away from the table as possible. As she sat down, she hoped the distance would quell her stomach's reaction to the smell. She almost smiled as she recalled F'linu's comment that they didn't know how she would react to the knock-out chemical. She'd just let him go on believing that was why she felt poorly. She wasn't about to tell him she was pregnant and, as a result, couldn't stand the smell of greasy meat.

But she really did need to eat, she thought with a grimace. She needed to keep up her strength, not only in the event an opportunity arose to escape, but also for the sake of the baby.

Placing a hand over her abdomen, she wished Malcolm was with her. He'd know what to do. As it was, he probably wouldn't even know something was wrong until she didn't show up at home in three days. She resigned herself to making the best of the situation. Malcolm would eventually come to get her.

Getting up and walking over to the table, she looked down at the bowl of stew. It was going to be a long wait.

* * *

Malcolm was on the bridge of the Morning Star, impatiently pacing as he waited for the last of his crew members who had been on Estab to return. 

Orwell had moved over to the communications console when Malcolm had stormed onto the bridge after returning from Kleth's ship. The former Starfleet officer was trying to reach someone in the Lanari government who could give them information about Hoshi, but was having no success.

A beep signaled an incoming transmission, and Malcolm swiveled his chair toward Orwell hopefully.

"It's the Falcon, sir," Orwell reported.

For once not rankled by Orwell's adherence to calling him "sir," Malcolm nodded for him to put the transmission on the viewscreen. In a moment, Kleth's fierce visage appeared.

"We are ready, Ma'Com," the Klingon said without preamble.

"We're waiting on the last of our crewmen to re-board, and we'll be ready, too," Malcolm said.

Orwell interrupted from the communications console. "The shuttle has been pulled into the bay, sir," he said. "All personnel are now accounted for."

"Can the Falcon still reach Warp 4?" Malcolm asked Kleth, and saw a vicious grin spread across his friend's face.

"Easily," the Klingon replied.

"Good. Set course for Lanari at Warp 4 and follow us."

"Q'apla!" Kleth shouted, and the viewscreen went dark as the transmission was terminated.

Malcolm settled back in the captain's chair. "Prepare to break orbit," he ordered the helmsman, a tall, slender ex-'fleeter named Sarah Jackson.

Opening a channel to engineering, Malcolm informed Trip they were about to get underway.

"We're going to go to Warp 4 almost immediately," he warned the engineer.

"No problem," Trip said. "This engine purrs like a kitten even at that speed. You got a good one here."

Malcolm cut the connection. Glancing around the bridge, he was gratified to see the crew calmly manning their stations. All but one were former Starfleet members, and he felt justified now that he had deliberately sought them out. Their professionalism, along with whatever experiences they'd had in the service, would be a distinct advantage in this situation.

"Take us out," he told Jackson, who efficiently input the commands into her console.

As the planet slipped away below them, Malcolm's tension lessened a fraction. It had taken several hours to round up all the crew. The entire time he had been anxious, wanting to get underway.

Now they were headed for Lanari, the Falcon behind them and slightly off to port. It was good to finally be doing something.

But it would be another six hours before they reached Lanari, and the panic Malcolm had been holding at bay ever since he'd found out Hoshi had been kidnapped came crashing back.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and fight down the urge to do something -- anything. It didn't work.

Rising from the captain's chair, he told Orwell, "You've got the bridge. Keep trying to contact someone on Lanari who can tell us what's going on."

Malcolm strode over to his office and entered. Sitting down at his desk, he called up information on Lanari. He would familiarize himself with the planet's history and current affairs. The information might come in useful in finding Hoshi.

Closing his eyes again, he visualized her face. How could he have let her go off alone? He prayed she was all right, and felt a prickle of ice-cold fear as he thought about the baby she was carrying. If anything happened to either of them, he'd never forgive himself.

He hadn't been overly concerned when she'd announced that she planned to go on this trip. He was proud of the work she was doing for the Estabi, and the fact that another planet had expressed interest in her assistance had surprised and pleased both of them. For all intents, her visit to Lanari was just another business venture.

Scrolling through the information on the computer screen, he realized that, if either of them had thought to check further than the planet's current medical standards and practices, they would have known she would be going into an unstable state of affairs.

Leaning his head back against his chair, he cursed himself. He'd been out of Starfleet for less than a year, and he was already slacking off. If he'd been given a similar assignment while still in the service, he would have checked it out thoroughly.

Both of them had been so flattered by the invitation that they had taken it at face value. They hadn't considered there might be any danger involved.

He supposed he could blame his preoccupation with the Morning Star for his lack of awareness. He had been so excited about obtaining the ship that he hadn't paid much attention to anything else. The fact that it had taken an entire day after he got home for Hoshi to be able to tell him about the baby was proof of that.

His desire to set up his own business was no excuse, however. How could he have not made Hoshi his first priority? He should have paid more attention, should have checked out things before allowing her to go.

He laughed harshly out loud at that thought. Allow Hoshi to go? She was her own person. He knew that very well. She had once captained a Klingon warbird, for heaven's sake. He couldn't tell her what to do. Their relationship wasn't like that.

But if he had done some research on Lanari, he could have given her that information and urged her not to go. The decision would ultimately have still been hers to make, but she may not have gone.

With an angry mutter at fate, he punched in more commands for his computer, calling up every scrap of information he could find on Lanari and its current political situation.

* * *

Trip and Slanea were standing side by side, monitoring the engine controls. Trip was silent as they made minute adjustments to keep the Morning Star flying smoothly at warp 4, and Slanea hadn't said anything other than what was necessary since they'd returned from the Falcon. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as they worked. 

When they'd found out that the captain's mate had been kidnapped, they had immediately returned to the Morning Star to prepare to rescue her. Slanea had felt a surge in her blood she hadn't expected to have after signing on with this ship.

She was Klingon, after all. Honor and circumstances had forced her to live outside the Empire. She wasn't happy about it, but it was the only recourse with any semblance of honor open to her.

Finding employment with a human captain had been demeaning, and her irritation at her situation had found a convenient outlet in this human standing beside her. Trip had been correct -- they were like oil and water when mixed.

But she was coming to admire both Trip and her captain. She'd had no idea that humans understood the concept of honor, much less practiced it. That they knew and admired other Klingons surprised her, but not as much as Captain Reed's adherence to Klingon tradition in his dealings with her.

She had tried to find out more about the time the captain and Trip had spent aboard the Falcon, but none of this crew had been with them then. She only heard vague stories of the captain's mate seeking revenge and a space battle involving pirates and Starfleet.

Now they were on the way to a new planet to rescue the captain's mate who had been abducted by force. An honorable quest, to be sure. She hadn't thought that she would be part of anything like this outside the Empire. She sighed contentedly at her good fortune.

Hearing her sigh, Trip glanced over at her and asked, "Somethin' wrong?"

"No," she barked automatically, then made an effort to moderate her tone. "I was thinking about what we are doing."

"Good. Keep your mind on the monitors and we should be fine."

"No, I didn't mean that," she said. "I meant going to find the captain's mate. It is an honorable endeavor."

Trip smiled slightly as he made another adjustment. "I thought humans didn't have any honor."

When she didn't answer, he looked over to find her contemplating him.

"Are you trying to be...uncivil?" she asked uncertainly.

He grinned broadly, realizing that she was making an effort to get along with him. "No, I'm not tryin' to be uncivil. I'm teasin' ya."

"Teasing?"

"Yeah. It's like makin' fun of someone, but it's not meant in a bad way. And you only do it to people you like."

He turned back to the controls as she mulled over what he had just said. It wasn't often he got the last word in. Taking advantage of her continued silence, he changed the subject. "So, what did ya think of Kleth?"

A disconcerting series of snorts came from Slanea and he glanced over at her in alarm. What he saw was even more amazing. She was the laughing. It was the first time he had ever seen her do that.

When she finally stopped, she gasped out, "Why do you ask? Are you jealous?"

"Are you tryin' to be uncivil?" he asked, throwing her own words back at her but giving her a smile to show he wasn't angry.

"No," she said and sobered. "I am just...teasing."

When she smiled again, Trip couldn't help but smile back. Shaking his head, he turned to the controls, and she did the same. They worked in companionable silence for a time, until Trip couldn't stand it any more.

"So," he said, keeping his eyes on the controls. "What did ya think of Kleth?"

If he'd been looking at her, he would have been able to dodge the blow she landed on his shoulder.

* * *

Hoshi forced herself to eat a little of the stew. She found it tasted almost as bad as it smelled. Putting down the spoon, she pushed the bowl away from her, wishing her nausea would go away. 

Deep breaths weren't helping this time, and she fleetingly wondered if she really was having a reaction to the substance used to knock her out. When she'd regained consciousness and had felt the same way as she had the last several mornings, she had blamed it on her pregnancy. Now she wasn't so sure.

She stood up and made her way unsteadily to the door. She knew it was locked, but she tried turning the handle any way. When it didn't give, she began knocking, then pounding on the door, trying to get someone's attention.

Somebody better open the door pretty soon, she thought as she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. If they didn't, there was going to be one awful mess to clean up.

She had to stop banging on the door to lean against the wall next to it as a wave of dizziness engulfed her. She was panting heavily and breaking out in a sweat, trying not to throw up, when the door was flung open.

The Lanari male took one look at her distressed face, grabbed her arm, and dragged her out of the room and down the corridor. She managed to keep the stew down until he opened another door to reveal a bathroom, and she stumbled over to the commode.

She heard him quietly close the door between them as she leaned over and expelled every bite she had eaten. By the time she was finished, she was shaking and weak. So much for trying to keep her strength up, she thought grimly.

She pulled herself to her feet, clinging to the sink, and turned the water on. Splashing some cold water on her face made her feel better, as did rinsing out her mouth.

A polite rap at the door startled her.

"Yes?" she called out.

"Are you all right?" asked the Lanari who had escorted her to the bathroom.

"I'm better, thank you."

"You need to come out of there and return to your room."

"Give me a minute," she said and splashed more water on her face.

Grabbing some paper-like towels next to the sink, she dried her face and hands, looking around with interest at the bathroom. There was a window on the far wall of the small room. Peering out, she could see she was on the ground level of the building.

But it was the landscape that caught her attention. She was no longer in the capital city. As far as she could see, there was lush green jungle. There wasn't another structure to be seen.

Where had they taken her?


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Orwell stuck out the six-hour journey at the communications console on the Morning Star, sending hail after hail, refusing to be put off by the Lanaris' prevarications. When one official couldn't help, he would contact another, wheedling, coaxing, and, in a few cases, threatening, trying to obtain any information about Hoshi.

An hour from the planet, he changed tactics. Instead of contacting planetary officials, he tried reaching internal security and wound up talking to a police supervisor in the capital city. The contact proved productive, and he put the transmission with the police officer through to Malcolm in his office.

"Captain Reed?" said the dark-haired Lanari who stared out at him from his computer screen.

"Yes. And you are...?"

"Supervisor P'kora. I'm with the security police in Linau, the capital city."

Malcolm regarded him for a moment. He was a typical Lanari, with the slight cheek ridges and gold-rimmed irises. Other than that, he could pass for human. The man seemed sincere and confident, meeting his eyes with a steady gaze.

"What can you tell me about Hoshi Sato?" Malcolm asked.

The Lanari exhaled, and answered Malcolm's question with a question. "What do you know of the political situation on this planet?"

"Not much. You have a central government, but it is somewhat ineffectual," Malcolm said, drawing on his recent research about Lanari. He saw P'kora raise his eyebrows at his comment but the policeman didn't interrupt him, so he continued. "There are a number of opposition groups, some of which resort to violent means to further their goals."

P'kora nodded. "Succinct and accurate. Hoshi Sato was taken by one of those opposition groups. From our investigation, it seems members of the Lanari Liberation League, posing as government officials, went to her hotel room and kidnapped her under the guise of moving her to a better room."

"Do you have any idea where they may have taken her?"

"Not yet."

"Why did they take her?" asked Malcolm, who had been puzzling over that aspect since he'd first heard she'd been kidnapped.

"It's a political move," P'kora said. "The government wants to set up medical clinics, and the LLL doesn't want it to."

Malcolm was genuinely confused now. "But medical clinics... How could that be of any concern to a group opposed to the government?"

P'kora looked evenly at Malcolm. "It's much more complicated than you realize. I can explain in more detail when you get here. Perhaps I'll have more information for you then."

Malcolm arranged to meet P'kora when they arrived and, as he cut the transmission, he felt the first spark of hope since he'd found out that Hoshi had been kidnapped.

* * *

Hoshi dozed off and on after being taken back to her room. She felt better since emptying her stomach. Maybe she couldn't handle Lanari food. That's all it was, she reassured herself, and not something to do with the baby. She desperately hoped it wasn't anything to do with the baby. 

After a while, she got up and began to pace around the room. She had to find a way out. She had come to the decision that she couldn't wait on Malcolm. At the very least, it would be three days before he even knew anything was wrong since she told him she wouldn't call him until she was on the way home.

In the meantime, F'linu might come up with something he could use her for, and she didn't want to wait around for that to happen. She'd be damned if she was going to be a pawn in his schemes against the government, no matter what she thought of it. The fact that he was preventing her from helping his own people didn't sit well with her, either.

There was no way out of the room except for the door, which was locked. Even if she could get into the hall, no doubt there would be someone around who would see her if she tried to leave the building.

The next time she was allowed to use the bathroom, she'd check the window. Maybe she could get out that way. She'd have to make a run for the jungle as quickly as possible, before her escort realized what she was doing. Every second her captors were unaware she was gone would make it that much harder for them to find her.

That she was in a jungle didn't bother her. She'd been in jungle settings before. What worried her was how far she might be from any city or settlement, but that was a chance she'd have to take.

Having made a plan boosted her confidence. She couldn't help shivering, though, wondering if she'd have enough courage to run when an opportunity presented itself.

* * *

Malcolm was waiting in the transporter room for Trip so they could beam down to Lanari. Kleth had insisted on beaming down with him, and Malcolm was keying in the transporter commands to receive the Klingon captain on the Morning Star when Trip arrived with Slanea. The usual drab jumpsuit worn by the Klingon engineer had been replaced by battle armor. 

"I am coming with you," she announced bluntly.

Malcolm glanced at Trip for an explanation. With the resigned air of someone who has lost an argument, the engineer said, "She thinks she'll be able to help."

"I should go instead of Trip," she said forcefully. "He is a Starfleeter. If I understand correctly, his participation in this is not sanctioned by Starfleet. It could damage his career."

Malcolm hadn't considered that. He'd assumed Trip would go along. At Malcolm's surprised look, Trip grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, she's worried about me. What can I say? But I'm goin' anyway."

"Slanea," Malcolm began, half intending to order her to remain on board, but the chime announcing an incoming transporter beam interrupted him. All three turned to look at the platform where Kleth was materializing. At the last moment, Slanea reached over and put a hand on Trip's arm.

Kleth took in the assembled group when he materialized. A frown crossed his face as he saw Slanea's possessive hold on Trip.

He turned to Malcolm. "Well?" he asked loudly. "What are we waiting for?"

"You," Malcolm said, entering new commands into the console. He gestured for Trip and Slanea to get on the platform and pushed a few more buttons before joining them on the pad.

They materialized outside police headquarters in the capital city. Glancing around once to get his bearings, Malcolm set off up a set of stone stairs to the entrance.

Their arrival created a stir in the main lobby, most Lanari never having seen Klingons before. Malcolm felt a rush of satisfaction. The Klingons' presence was an intimidating force, and he was glad both of them were along. It didn't hurt that they were dressed in full battle armor, complete from the gauntlets on their forearms down to the clawed-toe boots they favored.

No one approached them, so he walked over to the reception desk where a Lanari male dressed in the black uniform of the police force was seated. The Lanari looked nervous as the off-world delegation approached him. Out of the corner of his eye, Malcolm could see both Kleth and Slanea wearing fierce scowls. Slanea issued a low growl, and Malcolm had to stifle a smile as the Lanari police officer gulped nervously.

"We're here to see P'kora," he told the officer.

The man bobbed his head in acknowledgement and got up. Gesturing for them to follow, he led them through a door behind the desk and down a long corridor. Upon reaching a door with Lanari lettering on its frosted window, he knocked and opened it, standing back for the group to enter.

The same Lanari with whom Malcolm had talked while on the ship rose from a seat behind a desk to greet them. "Captain Reed," he said, then looked questioningly at the other three who crowded in behind him.

"Some of my crew," Malcolm said but singled out Kleth by saying, "and the captain of the Falcon, the other ship with us."

P'kora made no move toward the group, but when Kleth growled loudly, he didn't back up, either. Compared to the reaction of the other Lanaris who had seen the Klingons, this one had some guts. Malcolm was beginning to think this man might be able to help them.

Getting right to the point, Malcolm asked, "Have you found out anything since we talked earlier?"

"I have," said P'kora. "I'm arranging a detail to raid the location where I believe Ms. Sato is being held." He hesitated, looking at each member of Malcolm's group as if measuring them. "You are welcome to join me, if you wish."

Not waiting for an answer, P'kora turned and went through another door in his office. As it opened, Malcolm could see what appeared to be a weapons storage room. He walked over to peer in, taking in the Lanari firearms.

P'kora picked up a rifle and remarked, "I'd offer you the use of some of these, but I don't think you need them," and looked pointedly at the disruptor on Malcolm's hip.

P'kora came back in the room, gave the group one more visual inspection, and said, "Let's go."

The humans and Klingons followed him out into the hall, but instead of turning toward the front of the building, the Lanari went toward the back. He led them through an outer door to an alley and walked to a ground vehicle parked nearby.

There were no markings on the vehicle. If this was to be a clandestine operation, the Lanari police wouldn't want to announce their arrival, Malcolm thought with approval. That would take away some of the element of surprise.

P'kora got in behind the wheel and looked at the four people who stood on the pavement watching him. "Get in. We haven't got all day."

Trip and Slanea hurriedly got in the back seat, while Malcolm and Kleth both made for the passenger door in front. Malcolm gave Kleth a look that dared him to challenge him for the front seat, and saw a small smile flit across the big Klingon's face.

"You have the right. She is your mate, Ma'Com," Kleth conceded, and moved to get in the back.

As soon as the doors closed, P'kora put the vehicle in gear.

"Where are the rest of your men?" Malcolm asked as they pulled away from the building.

Keeping his eyes on the road, the Lanari answered evenly, "There aren't any."

"What!" came Trip's disbelieving shout from behind them as he leaned forward to grab the back of the front seat. "Do you mean to say you're the entire police force for this raid?"

"Yes."

"I can't believe this!" Trip ranted, backed by low growls from the Klingons. "What kind of police force are you people runnin' down here?"

Malcolm was watching P'kora closely during Trip's tirade. They hadn't gotten any cooperation from any other official on the planet, but he had an idea of what might be going on. Before the Lanari could say anything, Malcolm said, "They don't know you're doing this, do they?"

A humorless smile graced the man's face as he negotiated skillfully through heavy traffic, keeping his eyes on the road. "If by 'they' you mean my superiors, no, they don't know I'm doing this. If this raid isn't successful, my career will be over."

The rumbling coming from the Klingons increased at his statement. Malcolm shot a glare into the back seat, urging them to refrain from doing anything. He could see Kleth's hand twitch over the handle to his disruptor, and Slanea's fingers were curved into claws.

"But you are helping us," Malcolm said to P'kora.

"I believe I must."

Studying the man's face for any sign of a falsehood, Malcolm asked, "Why?"

"I have a family," he said. They stopped for cross traffic, and P'kora looked over at Malcolm. "A wife, two fine sons, a daughter. They are everything to me."

P'kora returned his gaze to the road as he began driving the vehicle forward again. "One of my sons suffered from a rare neurological condition. There was no treatment on Lanari for him. He was going to die in a matter of a few years. My wife and I used our entire savings to take him to Estab."

A broad smile broke out on the police supervisor's face. "You should see him now! He can run and play with the other children, no longer so tired that all he can do is sit."

"You took him to one of Hoshi's clinics, didn't you?" Malcolm asked.

P'kora nodded. They were at the outskirts of the city now and their speed was increasing as the traffic thinned. "We had no money to pay for the treatment. It took all we had for the trip. When I explained this, the director of the clinic contacted Ms. Sato, who arranged for J'lino to be treated without charge. I did not want to accept charity, Captain Reed, but my son's life was at stake."

Malcolm was humbled by the man's words. P'kora obviously was a proud man who had gone to great lengths to help his son, and now he was willing to give up his livelihood to help the person whom he believed was responsible for saving his son. He wondered, after his own child arrived, if he could do the same.

"Now it is my turn," P'kora said, breaking into Malcolm's thoughts. "I know you are of the same species as Ms. Sato, but what is she to you that you are willing to risk your lives to find her?"

"He is her chosen one," came Kleth's deep voice from the back, followed by a gasp from Slanea.

Malcolm couldn't help it. He laughed. "That's under Klingon custom. According to the customs of my species -- humans -- she is my intended. She's going to be my wife. And she is carrying my child."

A look of comprehension crossed P'kora's face, but he didn't say anything else as they continued to speed down the road.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: I'm posting 2 chapters today, so go read Ch. 9 first, if you haven't already.

CHAPTER 10

F'linu brought her more food later that day. This time it was some sort of watery soup accompanied by bread. Her stomach rumbling with hunger, Hoshi sat down at the table and began to eat as he stood by the door and watched her.

"I understand your first meal with us was not to your liking," F'linu said.

Scowling at him, she said, "I don't know what was in it, but it made me sick."

It was just her luck that the LLL leader had brought the food this time, she thought as she looked with distaste at the unappealing repast before her. He was more attentive than the others she'd seen so far, and would be harder to fool.

"Let's hope this food is more to your liking," he said. "We're moving tonight."

Hoshi stopped eating, the spoon halfway to her mouth. "What do you mean -- moving?"

F'linu looked at her for a few moments, as if weighing how much to tell her. "We have a contact in the local police. He's found out that one of the supervisors has figured out where you are."

"I'm surprised you haven't moved already if you know that," she said, trying to keep the hope out of her voice. They knew where she was! Someone was looking for her.

A slight frown crossed her face, and she looked down at the soup again to hide her thoughts from F'linu. She'd have to make her escape as soon as possible. Waiting to be rescued when help was on the way was one thing, but she would be back in the same fix if F'linu moved her. No one would know where she was -- again.

She slowly began spooning some of the soup into her mouth. She wished F'linu would leave. His watchfulness was making her nervous, not to mention killing what little appetite she had. With a sigh, she put down the spoon and broke off a small piece of the bread, dipping it in the soup to moisten it before popping it in her mouth.

As the silence stretched, she became more uncomfortable under his scrutiny. She hated it when people who weren't eating watched her eat.

"Next time I eat, why don't you join me?" she asked sarcastically.

Her tone of voice wasn't lost on him. He smiled as he walked over and sat on the other chair at the table. "I'm sorry if I make you nervous," he said. "I don't mean to."

She grumbled under her breath, not looking at him.

When she didn't say anything directly to him, he said, "Under other circumstances, we probably could be friends."

Great. Now he was trying to butter her up. What was he doing? Trying to induce Stockholm syndrome in her? There was no way she was going to like him. He'd kidnapped her, making a mess of the good work she was trying to do. Worse, he wouldn't let her leave.

"You're angry with me," he said.

"Is there any reason I shouldn't be?" she asked incredulously as she jerked her head up to look at him.

He shrugged. "For some reason, I thought perhaps you might be frightened. Maybe even hysterical. But I never guessed you would be so defiant."

"Get used to it," she spat. "I have no intention of helping you."

His lips pursed into a small moue. "We'll see about that. I had intended to earn your sympathy, and perhaps a few other things, but we don't have time for that now."

What other things, she wondered. Surely he didn't think he could make a few advances and she'd fall for him. The idea was appalling, and the thought of him touching her was repulsive, more so now that she was carrying Malcolm's child.

Some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face, because his eyes suddenly narrowed, the golden rings around his irises expanding in a Lanari display of displeasure.

"Finish your food," he ordered. "We'll be leaving soon."

Her mind in a whirl, she pushed back from the table. "I...I need to...use the bathroom first," she said in what she hoped was a convincing display of meekness.

She held her breath, waiting to see if he would honor her request. This might be her last chance to get away before they moved her. She had to try.

With a sense of relief she watched as he stood up and walked over to the door, opened it, and gestured for her to walk out into the corridor in front of him.

* * *

"I can't believe how long this is takin'!" Trip's voice came from over Malcolm's shoulder. 

Malcolm didn't say anything but he heartily agreed. His impatience had been increasing with each kilometer they traveled.

The simple solution would have been to beam up to the Morning Star and beam down again closer to their destination, but P'kora had quickly shot down that idea. Just because the groups opposing the government were insurgents didn't mean they were poorly equipped, he had said. They had monitoring equipment that scanned for transporter activity. The rebels would know if anyone tried to sneak up on them that way, and the element of surprise would be lost.

A chill had run through Malcolm when P'kora had informed him that some opposition groups killed hostages rather than let them be freed.

Malcolm glanced into the back seat. Trip was seated between Slanea and Kleth. Since Trip was hanging on to the back of the front seat and trying to get a better look at the surrounding countryside through the front windshield, the two Klingons had an unobstructed view of each other. Slanea was ignoring Kleth, who was watching her as one might a dangerous animal.

He sighed and turned his attention back to the road. The city had given way to the countryside, with a few fields and farm operations scattered about. But even those were beginning to dwindle in number as the landscape changed again. He shifted his gaze farther into the distance, and was startled to see thick foliage lining the sides of the road ahead.

"Jungle or rain forest?" he asked P'kora.

"A little of both," was P'kora's reply. "Not many Lanari live in the area where we are going. It's too difficult to make a living from the soil, and other than lumber, there are not many resources."

As he tugged at the collar of his police uniform with one finger, P'kora added with a wry grimace, "The weather isn't exactly comfortable, either."

Malcolm had noticed the humidity was increasing. He glanced at Trip, who had a sheen of sweat on his face. The Klingons, however, didn't seem the least bit bothered by the climate.

Turning his back attention to P'kora he asked, "How did you find out Hoshi was here?"

"I grew up in this area. I've known about this place for a long time." With a harsh laugh, he added, "As you've noticed, the government isn't too worried about the safety of Ms. Sato. Right now D'rima and all the other ministers are more worried about trying to blame each other for her disappearance than they are in actually finding her."

His voice becoming even harder, the Lanari continued. "The corruption has reached all the way down to the lowest levels. If I had tried to mount a raid with the sanction of the police force, the LLL would know we were coming. They have spies and informants everywhere, even in headquarters."

"I appreciate what you're doing to help me," Malcolm said. "This can't be easy for you."

"No, it isn't," admitted P'kora. "But it feels good to finally be doing something."

* * *

Hoshi was surprised to find there was a lock on the inside of the bathroom door. As quietly as possible, she engaged it, then turned on the water in the sink to help cover any sound she might make. 

Inspecting the window, she found it opened outward. Only a simple latch held it closed. After a quick glance at the door, she unlatched the window and slowly pushed it open. She stuck her head out and looked around. No one was in sight.

Putting one foot on the commode, she was able to push herself up onto the sill and, with a little manuevering, was able to slide first one leg, then the other, out the opening. It was a short drop, and as soon as her feet hit the ground, she sprinted toward the foliage about ten meters away.

She plunged into the shrubbery, thrusting her arms out to keep from being hit in the face by the taller branches. The blue-green foliage was so thick that she barely made any headway at first, but the farther she moved into it, the less dense it became. Stopping for a moment to get her bearings, she understood why.

She was coming to the edge of some old tree growth. Behind her, the trees had been felled to make a clearing for the building, and the loss of canopy had allowed smaller, jungle-like plants to flourish in the unobstructed sunlight.

Pushing on again, each step becoming easier as the smaller plants thinned out, she saw large trees reaching so far up that she couldn't tell where the tops were. A few more steps, and she was in their enveloping shade.

Another glance behind showed that her path into the forest would be readily found. She had trampled and broken many of the plants and bushes in her headlong dash. Once she got into the forest, it would also be easy to spot her, she realized, as there wasn't much undergrowth.

She set off at a quick jog, trying to put as much distance between her and F'linu as she could before he realized she was gone.

* * *

F'linu reached over from where he was leaning against the wall in the corridor and rapped on the bathroom door. 

"Come out of there!" he said. "You've been in there long enough."

When he didn't get a response, his eyes narrowed and he pounded on the door again. If she thought she could stay in there until the authorities arrived, she was wrong.

He tried the handle but the door wouldn't open. Stepping back, he kicked at the door and it flew open, slamming back on its hinges against the interior wall. One glance was enough to show she wasn't in the room, and that the window was open.

Cursing under his breath, F'linu ran down the hall, calling for the others.

"What's wrong?" asked a man who came out of a side room.

"She's gone! She got out through the window in the bathroom."

As more men came running, F'linu began issuing instructions. "We still need to leave this place. Keep packing up and as soon as everything is ready, move out."

Walking into the room the first man had come out of, he glanced around until he found what he wanted. He picked out a rifle from several stacked against the wall, checked the power level, and slung it by the carrying strap over his shoulder. Next, he grabbed a canteen and shook it to see if it contained any water. Satisfied by the sloshing sound, he hung it on his belt.

"Get to the rendezvous spot. I'll meet you there," F'linu said as he headed to the door.

"What about you?" the first man asked.

"I'm going after her. She's too valuable to let get away."

Outside, he had no trouble finding where she had left the compound. The foliage was pushed down and trampled. Hitching the rifle up on his shoulder to a more comfortable position, he set off at a steady pace. If he didn't catch up to her soon, the jungle most likely would take care of her for him.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Hoshi was covered in sweat within minutes of entering the forest. Keeping a steady pace, she angled away from where she had broken through the dense foliage. She tried not to leave too many traces of her passage but the need to get away quickly outweighed being slowed down by caution.

She had to keep her eyes down, watching where she was stepping, so she wouldn't slip on the leaves littering the ground or the occasional vine which twisted across the ground between the trees. After every ten steps or so she'd glance up, trying to find something to use as a landmark to keep her going in the same direction. The last thing she wanted was to go around in a circle and wind up back where she had started.

Under her feet she could feel the ground rising slightly, and hoped that would lead to some gullies or creek beds or something that she could use for more concealment.

As she tossed yet another apprehensive glance over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her, she lost her footing. She hit the ground hard and lay panting for a few moments, trying to catch her breath. The sweat was pouring off her, and she wiped her face with the back of her hand.

Looking up, she could see one small patch of sky high above through a break in the canopy of leaves. Instead of the usual blue-green shade of Lanari sky, however, it was an ominous brown. She didn't know much about Lanari weather, but it looked like a storm was brewing.

Her eye was caught by a movement under the fallen leaves a few meters away. Hoshi watched fearfully as the leaves quivered and a snake-like head the size of her hand emerged, followed by a long, slithering body. The head lifted up, and she could see four long fangs protruding from the creature's mouth and two slender antennae on its head vibrating as it sensed movement.

Holding her breath, her eyes wide with fear, she scooted backward as quietly as she could. She pushed herself to her feet and gave the creature a wide berth, tip-toeing a few steps before breaking into a run.

She hadn't given a thought to what kind of wildlife there might be in the forest. Normally she wasn't scared of animals, but she had no idea what kind of animals were on Lanari and whether they posed a threat to humanoid life.

In addition to getting away from F'linu, she needed to keep a wary eye out for other creatures. And she would have to find shelter if a storm came up, she thought as she caught another glimpse of the brown sky. The canopy ought to keep the rain out for a while, and hopefully she could find some place to hide before she got soaked.

A few more minutes of running and she noticed the ground was becoming more uneven, with little rises and dips, and there was more ground cover again. She slowed her pace, putting a hand to the stitch she was getting in her side. Scanning the landscape through the trees in front of her, she could make out some low hills not too far away.

With renewed determination, she set out again.

* * *

P'kora slowed the vehicle for a turn-off. They left the pavement for a dirt road with grass growing up between the tracks and thick foliage crowding both sides. 

"It's not far now," he said, wincing a little as the vehicle bottomed out on a rough patch.

The road twisted around, skirting some pools of stagnant water. What with the curves in the road and the abundance of trees and other plants, it was impossible to see very far ahead.

Malcolm's anxiety hitched up a notch. He was getting closer to Hoshi but he was worried by what may have happened to her. His fear was fueled by the adrenaline beginning to course through his body in anticipation of a confrontation with her captors.

He was opening his mouth to ask P'kora how much farther they had to go when he was startled to see a cargo-hauling ground carrier careening around the curve toward them. P'kora slammed on the brakes, making the vehicle slew to the side before coming to a halt. "It's them!" the Lanari said.

The two Klingons immediately jumped out, disruptors at the ready. One well-placed shot from Kleth took down the driver of the other vehicle as he opened his door to get out. A shot from Slanea's disruptor hit the engine and it to burst into flames.

Malcolm, P'kora and Trip scrambled out as two more Lanaris jumped out of the now-blazing cargo hauler and tried to run for cover. With his rifle, P'kora managed to shoot one who was running for the undergrowth at the side of the road, and a shot from Malcolm's disruptor clipped the arm of the other, who fell to the ground.

When there was no return fire, Malcolm and the Klingons cautiously approached the destroyed conveyance while P'kora covered them with the rifle.

Trip had remained behind running a scanner aimed in the direction of the burning vehicle. "That's all of them," he called out. "There's no one else inside."

Malcolm turned to look at him at this piece of information, and Trip added regretfully, "I'm sorry, Malcolm. She's not with them."

Kleth grabbed the Lanari who had been shot by Malcolm and dragged him over. When Kleth released his hold, the man collapsed in a heap on the ground, clutching his injured arm.

"Talk!" Kleth demanded, snarling down at the man.

P'kora, who had checked the other two Lanari and found both of them unconscious, came over and poked the man with his rifle.

"Talk," he repeated, jerking his head toward Kleth, "or I'll leave you alone with him."

"What do you want to know?" the Lanari asked, casting a fearful glance at the Klingon.

"Where is the off-worlder you kidnapped?" P'kora asked.

The Lanari on the ground hesitated, and P'kora poked him with the rifle again.

"She got away," the man said, flinching away from the gun.

"She got away?" Malcolm repeated.

"Yes, she escaped. She ran off into the jungle just before we left."

Malcolm closed his eyes, relieved that Hoshi was alive but now worried about what could happen to her in this wilderness. As he opened his eyes, he saw a grim smile cross Kleth's face.

"She is a strong and cunning one," Kleth said approvingly.

"Yes, but now we have to find her!" hissed Slanea. She looked distastefully at their surroundings.

Eyes on his scanner, Trip spoke up. "I can pick up her bio-sign with this. Shouldn't be too hard to track her."

As he adjusted the controls, Malcolm came over to peer at the scanner's screen. The device emitted a high-pitched beep and a dot appeared on the screen.

"There she is," Trip said, only to have the device beep again.

"Uh-oh," the engineer said with a worried glance at Malcolm. "There's another bio-sign. Whoever it is is goin' in the same direction."

Malcolm strode quickly over to the Lanari and yanked him to his feet. "Who's following her?" he asked threateningly.

The man gulped before answering. "It's F'linu. He said she was too valuable to let get away."

"F'linu is the Lanari Liberation League's leader," P'kora put in.

"We've got to move now, before they get too far ahead of us," Malcolm said, and heard an answering growl from Kleth.

P'kora, with Slanea's assistance, hastily cuffed the three men. There was a guarded expression on the police supervisor's face as he finished securing the last of them.

"P'kora?" Malcolm asked.

"I'm going with you," he said, nodding as if he had reached a decision. "I should remain here until I can arrange to have these men transported, but I'm not."

Straightening up, he dusted off his hands on his pants. "I'll send a message to headquarters. Chances are, however, the transmission will be picked up by other members of the LLL and these three will be gone before any of my people get here."

"You can stay here and we can go on without you," Malcolm said.

"No," P'kora said, his voice firm. "I started out to help you, and that's what I'm going to do. Besides," he added with a grim smile, "you may need my help once we go into the forest."

P'kora sent the transmission using a comm panel on his vehicle's control console. Then, without a further word, he hefted his rifle and began striding down the road past the burning cargo hauler. Malcolm looked at Trip, who shrugged and clipped the scanner on his belt. Kleth and Slanea were already following P'kora, and Malcolm and Trip hurried to catch up.

A few minutes walking at a brisk pace brought them to the hideout. To all appearances it was abandoned, the front door standing open, the clearing quiet except for the humming sound of some unseen insects.

Trip pulled out his scanner again and aimed it in the direction of the building. "Nobody's home," he said, wiping sweat from his brow.

P'kora, meanwhile, had been looking at the foliage surrounding the clearing. "She went that way," he said, indicating a break in the dense shrubbery.

Trip aimed the scanner in that direction and nodded. "Still pickin' up two bio-signs. The second one's catchin' up to the first one."

P'kora paused and looked up. "The weather is about the change. We must hurry."

Malcolm had been aware the light was getting dimmer. As he looked up, he could see dark clouds racing across the sky and could feel a slight breeze across his sweaty face.

"Let's go," Malcolm said, plunging into the undergrowth after P'kora.

Behind him he could hear the others following, Klingon curses coming from Slanea as the shrubbery slapped at her. There was a loud outburst in Klingon from Kleth, after which Slanea remained silent.

Despite his focus on finding Hoshi, Malcolm couldn't help but wonder how those two would get along. So far, Kleth didn't seem to be "winning" much of anything as far as Slanea was concerned.

Once the bushes thinned out and they were under the massive trees, Trip moved up to the front of the group. Scanner in one hand, he pointed with the other. "That way," he said, and the group set off at a rapid pace.

* * *

Hoshi had to slow down. The terrain had changed in the last five minutes as she had jogged along, and she was coming to the hills she had glimpsed earlier. She ran up over a small hill and skidded to a halt. 

She was on a high bank overlooking a small ravine, a steep drop directly in front of her. A large, fast-flowing stream was about ten meters below her. She looked around, trying to find a way down so that she could cross the stream. She set off parallel to the ravine, and in a few minutes came across a muddy path leading downward.

She caught sight of a paw print the size of her fist, long scores in the mud ahead of it where the creature's claws had dug in. She concluded that animals used this path to get to the water, and fervently hoped she wouldn't run into any of them, at least not the one with the claws.

The route was slippery, and she slid, flailing her arms, until she grabbed a vine hanging down from one of the trees and used it to stop herself from sliding all the way to the bottom. Releasing the vine once she regained her balance, she more carefully picked her way down the path.

There was a sandbank at the bottom, and she could see a trail of paw prints leading to the water's edge. Whatever the animal was, it had come here to drink, and Hoshi realized she'd have to do the same. Dehydration was probably a worse threat than whatever alien bacteria might be in the water, and she wearily dropped to her knees, eagerly scooping up water in her hands.

She tried not to drink too quickly, afraid she'd get cramps, and paused to splash some of the cool water on her face. With a rueful grin, she thought about how she had been worried that she hadn't been getting enough exercise. She was more than making up for that now. She just hoped all this had no bad effect on the baby.

With a pang, she thought of Malcolm. She had to get out of this and contact him somehow. Thinking about how much time had passed, she despaired as she realized he probably was unaware of her predicament.

Here by the stream there was an unobstructed view of the sky. She gazed up to find the clouds had gotten thicker and more ominous looking. As she sat back on her heels to consider which way to go next, her ears picked up a low whistling sound, and she noticed the leaves on the trees at the top of the steep banks were shivering under the breeze.

Down here by the stream, she was protected from the wind, but once she left the sandbar and went back up into the forest, she would be buffeted. Much as she wanted to, she couldn't stay in the sheltered cove. One glance behind her was enough to show this might not be the best place to hole up during a heavy rain. The underside of the bank looked as if it had been scoured clean, probably by a flash flood.

In any case, she had to keep moving as long as she could, putting distance between her and anyone who might be chasing her.

Heaving a sigh, she got to her feet. A fallen tree bridged the stream a little distance away. She might be able to climb across the stream on that.

As she got closer, she could see that the tree had fallen recently. There were wilted greenish-blue leaves on its limbs, and while the trunk wasn't too thick, it looked like it would hold her weight. She would have to climb at about a 45-degree angle from the water's edge where she was at to the base of the trunk on the high bank on the other side, where she could see the tree's roots sticking into the air.

Luckily there were branches she could grasp. She would have to pull herself up, climbing the trunk like a ladder to reach the other side.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself up onto the trunk by grabbing a convenient branch, and carefully began stepping along. She made sure each of her hands was grasping a branch before moving either of her feet.

She was about halfway across when one of her feet slipped, and she had a moment of panic as one of the branches she was holding onto broke under the strain of her body's weight. But the other branch she was clinging to held, and she pulled herself back up.

She looked down at the rushing water as she caught her breath. Not a good place to fall in, she noted, seeing several large boulders just under the surface.

She carefully began moving again, making sure she had both hands anchored securely before each step. There were no further mishaps, and she collapsed on the ground when she finally stepped off the trunk on the far side.

Waiting only long enough for her shaking to subside, she got to her feet and looked around. It was getting darker. It was like twilight under the canopy of trees, with shapes blurred and indistinct in the distance. Her hair was whipping around in the wind, and she tore off a length of a nearby vine, using it to tie her hair back out of her face.

She began walking uphill, trying to find an overhang or perhaps another fallen tree, anything under which she could huddle against the coming storm. The wind was increasing and she could almost smell the rain that was coming. The temperature was starting to drop, too, and the wind chilled her as it swept over her sweat-soaked skin and clothing.

It was hard to keep going. She was so tired. She hadn't eaten much in the last two days. Combined with the stress pregnancy was putting on her body, she felt totally drained. If she could just find someplace out of the wind where she could rest.

Her foot skidded out from under her as she slid on some damp leaves, and she stumbled, landing on one knee. Panting, she looked around nervously for any more of the snake-like creatures she had seen earlier.

What she did see made her stand up quickly. There was a blank spot behind some of the foliage against the hillside she had been skirting. Hurrying over, she pushed back the leaves and some hanging vines, and found a depression in the side of the hill. A large slab of rock protruded from the hill, and the open area underneath was about the size of her bedroom. Best of all, it was completely hidden by the shrubs and plants.

She had found a place she could stop and rest out of the wind and coming rain. With a sigh of relief, she stepped past the foliage, only to feel a hand clamp onto her shoulder from behind.

"Did you really think I would let you get away?" F'linu asked.


	12. Chapter 12

Again, two chapters today. Go read Ch. 11 first before you read this one, please.

CHAPTER 12

"The second bio-sign has caught up to the first one," Trip called over the rising wind.

"Are we still on the right track?" Malcolm shouted.

Trip nodded his head as he kept moving, one arm raised to shield his eyes from the wind as he peered at the readout on the scanner.

Trip and Malcolm were in the lead, followed by P'kora. The Klingons brought up the rear. They had made good time at first. The ground was fairly level where they'd entered the forest, and the trees were far enough apart that they didn't have to search for a path through them.

But as the storm approached, the diffuse light under the trees became even dimmer, and they were forced to slow down to watch their footing. Their pace fell off even more when they came to a series of small inclines and increased undergrowth. Then the wind had picked up, almost as if it was trying to hold them back, and they had to lean into it to make any headway.

"We need to find shelter soon!" P'kora yelled from behind Malcolm.

"We've got to find Hoshi!" he called back over his shoulder.

"If she's smart, she'll find some shelter and sit this out," P'kora replied, catching up to Malcolm and grabbing his arm. "If F'linu is with her, that will be his first priority. He's a Lanari -- he knows what these storms are like."

Turning to face the police supervisor, Malcolm said angrily, "If he's with her, all the more reason to keep going!"

"You don't understand. These storms can be dangerous."

The two men stared at each other, Malcolm's determination clear in the set of his features, and P'kora gave in, releasing his hold on Malcolm's arm.

"All right. We can keep going for a short time yet," P'kora said. "But if we don't find her soon, the storm will make us stop in any case."

Malcolm spun around to catch up with Trip, who had kept trudging doggedly along, following the information on the scanner. P'kora shook his head and followed.

* * *

Hoshi pulled free from F'linu's hold on her shoulder, whirled around to face him,and backed away until she came up against the far wall of the cave. Watching him standing in the opening, his unblinking eyes glittering in the semi-darkness as he looked at her, she was reminded of the snake thing she had seen earlier, and she shivered. 

While she was panting from exertion and fear, he looked as if he had just finished a stroll in the park. He was carrying a rifle in one hand, and there was a canteen slung on his belt.

"You're thirsty, aren't you?" he said in his soft, smooth voice as her gaze came to rest on the canteen.

She was unable to keep from running her tongue over her dry lips as he unhooked the canteen from his belt. She watched as he unstoppered the canteen and raised it to his lips and took a long drink.

Lowering the water container, he looked at her for a moment, then held it out to her. She hesitantly took a few steps toward him, her arm outstretched for the canteen. At the last moment, just as her fingers brushed it, she shoved at him as hard as she could, trying to knock him to the side.

F'linu stumbled one step, and she lunged past him for the opening. Pushing aside the hanging foliage, she broke into a run as soon as she was clear of the entangling growth, only to stop after a few steps at the scene before her.

In the few moments they had been under the shelter of the overhang, the wind had increased tremendously. Although the tall tree trunks seemed unbowed, their limbs were twisted by the force of the wind, and debris was being hurled through the air. She closed her eyes reflexively at a blinding flash of light, and cringed when thunder boomed almost immediately, making her ears ring.

Strong hands clasped her unprotesting arms and dragged her back into the sheltered area.

"You little fool!" F'linu shouted at her. "Don't you know how dangerous it is to be out in this? You can be killed out there right now. If the lightning doesn't kill you, a falling tree limb will."

Hoshi broke away from him to stumble back against the far wall where she slid down to the ground, drawing her knees up and putting her head on them. F'linu was right -- she couldn't go out there in this.

She was aware of him watching her, but she ignored him. After several long minutes, she heard a new sound, and lifted her head to hear better. What started out as a patter of raindrops was rapidly becoming a downpour, and the sound was so loud that she could barely make out F'linu's next words.

"We're going to have to stay here until this is over," he said loudly to be heard over the monsoon-like deluge.

Moving away from the opening, he paused to look at some roots protruding into their shelter's walls and ceiling. He pulled a knife from a sheath at his belt and cut away some of the roots, tossing them in a pile near the opening. Then he ducked outside into the storm for a few seconds, returning with a large piece of decaying tree trunk and some branches. Scooping up some dry leaves that were in the shelter, he placed them on the pile as well.

Arranging the cut roots around the piece of tree trunk off to the side of the cave entrance, F'linu said, "This is going to smoke at first. The wood is wet, but only on the outside."

Reaching into one of his pockets, he pulled out a small device. A small flame appeared when he depressed a button, and he used it to set the dry leaves aflame. Soon a small fire was burning steadily, smoke rising and drifting toward the opening.

Hoshi shivered and inched closer to the blaze. The air was getting cooler, and her lightweight clothing, which had been soaked with her perspiration, wasn't keeping her very warm.

F'linu, she noticed, sat down between her and the opening, effectively trapping her in the cave.

Looking back at the fire, she sighed. She had managed to get away from him once. She seriously doubted she could do it again, especially if he was going to keep a close watch on her.

Closing her eyes, she let her thoughts drift to Malcolm. She'd been gone for two days, but it seemed like forever. She visualized his face and found some comfort in recalling their conversation at dinner when she had told him about the baby.

"What are you thinking about?" F'linu asked from across the fire.

She looked sharply at him. "None of your business," she said.

"You were smiling."

"It had nothing to do with you," she said. "Why can't you just let me go? I'm of no use to you."

"On the contrary," he said, raking his eyes over her. "I can think of several uses for you."

There was an edge to his voice which made her shudder, and once again she was reminded of a snake staring at its prey.

* * *

Two humans, two Klingons and a Lanari gazed down at the rushing water below them. 

"They're on the other side," Trip hollered over the noise of the wind.

"Of course they are," Malcolm muttered to himself. It was too much to expect that finding Hoshi would get any easier than it had been.

The journey was getting more difficult by the moment. As if the wind wasn't enough, now it was beginning to rain, large drops splattering on them through the opening in the tree canopy at the stream.

They couldn't wade across. The water was too swift. But if Hoshi and F'linu had made it across, there had to be a way for them to cross as well.

From the top of the high bank where they were standing, there was a good view of the ravine in both directions, and Malcolm was peering across the stream at the higher cliff-like bank on the opposite side when Slanea growled.

"Look!" she said, pointing to the sandbar below them.

"At what?" Malcolm said. "I don't see anything."

"There are tracks near the water's edge," she said.

Squinting, Malcolm could just make out footprints leading to the water's edge. P'kora came to stand next to him and peered down.

"That has to be from one of them," the Lanari said. "It rains often enough that any old tracks would have been washed away."

Kleth had moved away from the group in the direction the tracks followed the stream. After walking a few meters he called back, "I see a tree down across the water. We can use that to make our way across."

Kleth found the path down to the stream, and the group hurried down it with much slipping and sliding. When they reached the huge trunk spanning the water, P'kora slung his rifle over his shoulder.

"Let me go first," he said, and hopped up onto the tree trunk.

The Lanari nimbly climbed up the trunk without incident until he reached the top where the roots protruded from the ravine's edge. As he jumped off on the far side, a gust of wind caught him, making him stumble when he hit the ground. Regaining his footing, P'kora turned to wave to the others.

Malcolm was next. Grasping the branches, he made his way up safely, although not as quickly as P'kora. Having seen the Lanari stumble at the top, Malcolm was ready when the ascent took him into the full brunt of the wind above the ravine, and he stepped down onto the ground with no difficulty.

The rain was coming down harder when it was Trip's turn to cross. The engineer clipped the scanner to his belt to free both his hands to climb the tilting trunk, and Kleth gave him a boost to hurry him along.

Malcolm waited impatiently. This was taking too long. The storm's full force would be upon them soon, and they had to find Hoshi before then.

P'kora, scouting around, had found the spot where Hoshi had gone into the forest on this side, and the temptation to go on ahead was great. At the very least, Malcolm would wait until Trip made it over with the scanner which they needed to track Hoshi and F'linu. Slanea and Kleth could catch up after they made it across the stream.

Wiping the rain from his face, Malcolm turned to watch Trip's progess. The engineer slipped about a third of the way up, but he managed to hang on and pull himself back up. He was moving forward again when Malcolm heard a thunderous noise over the sound of the rain.

Glancing in puzzlement at P'kora, he saw the Lanari looking worriedly upstream.

Suddenly P'kora yelled, "Hurry!"

Malcolm followed his gaze and saw a wall of water rushing down the ravine. Turning back, he saw that Trip was only about halfway across the now wildly rushing stream. Trip had stopped at P'kora's cry and looked upstream, too, but now he was scrambling as fast as he could.

Malcolm knew Trip wouldn't make it across in time.

"Hold on to something!" he yelled at Trip, thinking the engineer might be able to ride out the onslaught of water.

Trip didn't hear him, or if he did, chose to ignore Malcolm's directive, and kept moving up the trunk. Malcolm caught his breath as the man slipped twice, but both times hung on and pulled himself back up.

There was no way Malcolm could climb back down the trunk to help Trip. He would most likely slip himself and wind up hurtling into Trip, throwing them both into the water.

On the opposite side of the stream, Kleth and Slanea were clambering up to higher ground to escape the rampaging water. They should be out of the way of the flood by the time it reached this point, Malcolm thought.

Trip was another story, however. The trunk had apparently become more slippery from the rain, and for every step Trip took, he slid half a meter or so backward. Any forward movement he made was due primarily to his grip on the tree's branches. He was pulling himself up toward the high bank, his legs all but useless as he tried unsuccessfully to gain purchase on the slick, scaly bark.

Malcolm looked at the rapidly closing wall of water and gauged that Trip would be above its height. It ought to pass a meter or so below where he was.

"Hang on!" he yelled again just before the front edge of the wall of water slammed into the trunk below where Trip was clinging.

Trip was going to make it, Malcolm thought in relief, and switched his attention across the ravine to pick out Kleth and Slanea standing safely atop the bank on the other side.

A loud cracking sound made him yank his gaze back, only to see the trunk shudder violently. Debris in the rushing flood must have hit the trunk under the surface, and had caused Trip's precarious perch to shift position.

Trip began trying to climb higher as the groaning trunk cracked in half. Malcolm and P'kora had to jump back as the end of the tree with the roots swung around, twisting and falling over the ravine's edge, taking Trip down into the water with it.

"Trip!" Malcolm cried out uselessly, the words torn from his mouth by the wind. He set off at a run along the lip of the ravine, trying to catch sight of Trip who was being swept away in the tumult below.

P'kora was right behind him, and Malcolm caught glimpses of Kleth and Slanea running along the opposite bank. His pace was hampered by the downpour and the unstable footing, and he stumbled, only to stop himself by falling against a tree.

He saw the engineer's head bob up from under the surface as the water carried him along. Luckily Trip had managed to stay on the trunk until the crest had passed; otherwise, Malcolm realized, he might have been sucked under immediately and drowned. As it was, the water was moving so swiftly that Trip would rapidly be carried out of sight down the stream.

Then Trip slammed into a boulder in the middle of the rushing stream, and Malcolm could hear his scream of pain above all the other noise. Trip's progress downstream was halted, his head and shoulders above the water, the force of the current holding him in place against the boulder.

As Malcolm searched for a way down the ravine, his anxiety about Hoshi was superseded by his worry about how badly Trip was hurt and how they were going to get him out of there.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Kleth was the first to reach the water's edge. Surveying the scene through the pouring rain, he measured the distance between him and Trip.

"Gather some of the thicker vines," he ordered Slanea when she caught up to him. "We will tie them together to make a rope to reach him."

He saw the concern in her face as she grunted in reply and hurried to her task. Taking a knife from the sheath on her boot, she began hacking at some of the vines hanging down from the trees on the bank.

Kleth heard Ma'Com call from across the raging stream. The human and the Lanari were halfway down the nearly vertical cliff face on their side, but Kleth could see no place for them to stand at the bottom. The swift-flowing water was right up against the cliff in that spot. He motioned for them to go back up.

"We will get him!" he bellowed.

He saw Ma'Com nod and say something to the Lanari before they reversed direction and began to move back toward the top.

Slanea came rushing up with an armload of vines which she quickly began knotting together to make one long strand.

"Take off your breastplate," Kleth told her.

She looked at him in astonishment.

"You are lighter than I am," he explained. "You will go in and get Trip. I will remain here, anchoring you so you are not swept away. Your breastplate will only hamper you in the water."

Slanea glanced fearfully at the rushing water. She seemed on the verge of protest, but gulped and nodded in agreement, unlacing the breastplate and pulling it off over her head.

"We must save him," she said as Kleth threaded the vine rope around her waist and tied it securely.

Kleth paused in his work to look down at her. Much as he wanted her, he would defer to Trip, if he was whom she wanted. He had seen the way she had looked at the human, and every time Kleth looked at her when she was close to Trip, she would be touching the human in some manner.

If all three of them were Klingon, he would challenge Trip for her. But Trip wasn't Klingon, and there were limits to what Kleth could expect of humans.

And if he did challenge Trip for her, it would result in only one thing -- Trip's death. There was no way the smaller human would win a battle against him. He had come to value Trip too much as a friend to take that course.

So he would step back, and let Slanea have her choice. If it was Trip, so be it.

"You care very much about him, don't you?" he rumbled softly as he tied the other end of the vine rope around his waist.

Slanea jerked her head around sharply to glare at him. Then a broad grin broke over her face and she laughed, despite the downpour.

"Yes, I do care about him," she said, "but not the way you think."

With that comment, she yanked on the rope once to make sure it was secure, and plunged into the water.

Kleth had no time to wonder what she had meant. He braced himself, feet planted apart, and grasped the makeshift rope with both hands as Slanea fought against the current, trying not to be swept past Trip.

He shot a quick glance upward, and saw that Ma'Com and P'kora had regained the top of the ravine and were watching him and Slanea. A strong pull on the vine rope drew his attention back to water and Slanea's struggle to reach Trip.

She was being swept past the injured human, and Kleth began backing up along the shore at the same time as he reeled in some of the improvised rope, pulling her back against the current. She was a strong one, he had to admit, and courageous. By no stretch of the imagination could what she was doing be called swimming, but she wasn't being sucked under, and with strong strokes was aiming for the boulder where Trip was hanging on.

Once he'd pulled her far enough back upstream, he began to play out some of the rope. If she could angle across, the current should deposit her right where Trip was hung up in mid-stream.

He could see that she had figured out what he was doing, and she struck out again, reaching the middle of the roaring flood waters and then letting the current carry her to the boulder.

She shook Trip, trying to rouse him. When she said something, Trip put one of his hands on her shoulder. Kleth nodded in approval as he saw Slanea wrap some of the rope around Trip's waist before grabbing him under the arm and holding him so that his back was against her chest.

She lifted her other arm in the air and waved it back and forth. Kleth immediately begin reeling them in, grunting at the extra weight of the human. Under his feet, the sandy soil was shifting, making it hard to keep his footing as he pulled the rope in hand over hand.

He began backing up again, this time toward the bank. He belayed the rope around a tree trunk, relieving enough of the strain on his body that he could concentrate more fully on pulling the pair in instead of keeping his own balance.

In a matter of minutes, he had them all the way to the water's edge. Slanea was on her back, the by-now unconscious Trip in her arms as she pushed with her feet to scoot farther away from the maelstrom that washed around their legs at the edge of the rushing water.

Kleth hurried over to them. "Well done!" he said to her as he untied the vine she had put around Trip and hoisted him easily over his shoulder for the climb back up the ravine.

Slanea coughed, spitting up water she had swallowed, and looked up at him. He towered over her, an impressive specimen of a Klingon, Trip nothing more than a mere featherweight to him. As she struggled to get up, he reached out a hand which she grasped, and he pulled her to her feet.

"Come," he said. "The water is still rising. We must get to higher ground and find shelter."

She scooped up her discarded breastplate, and he allowed her to take the lead. As she trudged past him toward the steep incline, he admired her form, particularly as outlined by the light undergarments plastered to the upper half of her body.

There was something about a test successfully met that made his blood sing, and she would be a worthy mate to share that triumph.

Hefting Trip to a more comfortable position on his shoulder, he set off after her. Maybe now he would find out exactly what she meant by that statement she had made before diving into the water, and he could find out for certain which one of them she wanted.

* * *

Malcolm and P'kora watched as Slanea and Kleth pulled Trip from the water and climbed back up the ravine. Just in time, too, Malcolm realized, as another surge of water came rushing down the gorge. 

He pulled out his communicator when the Klingons reached the top.

"How is he?" he yelled into the device to be heard over the noise of the storm.

"He is unconscious," Kleth's voice came back, distorted by static. "He has a cut on his head, and one of his arms is broken."

"Find some place to take shelter," Malcolm said. "We'll keep going."

He was answered by a burst of static even though across the ravine he could make out Kleth speaking into the communicator.

"The storm has generated an energy field that is interfering with your communications," P'kora said. "You won't be able to talk to him that way until it has passed."

Malcolm shut the communicator and returned it to his pocket. "We lost the scanner when Trip fell in," he said to the Lanari. "Will you be able to track Hoshi?"

"The storm has erased most of the signs of her passage," the other man admitted, "but I am familiar with this part of the forest. I know of a place where she may have taken shelter."

A loud clap of thunder punctuated his last statement. P'kora had been right. One member of their party had already been hurt. They were going to have to find some shelter, no matter how much he wanted to keep going.

He would trust the Klingons to take care of Trip. He and P'kora would get to the shelter the Lanari knew about. If Hoshi wasn't there, they'd have to wait to continue the search after the storm had blown itself out.

Waving to catch Kleth's attention on the other side of the stream, Malcolm thrust his arm out in a salute he had seen the other Klingon make when undertaking a daunting task. Kleth returned the gesture, and Malcolm watched as he and Slanea turned and disappeared into the undergrowth.

Indicating that P'kora should lead the way, Malcolm bowed his head against the wind, and the two set off away from the ravine.

* * *

Hoshi kept a wary eye on F'linu. So far he hadn't made any move toward her, but she wouldn't put it past him to try. 

"We have plenty of water to drink," he said with a slight smile as he glanced at the opening where the rain could be seen pouring down. "There is the matter of food, however."

He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small package. Opening it, he removed what appeared to be a strip of dried meat. Despite herself, Hoshi's empty stomach rumbled.

"Would you like some?" he asked, holding it out to her. When she didn't take it, he added, "You have got to be hungry."

Much as she would have liked to refuse, the knowledge that the baby needed nourishment just as much as she did, if not more, forced her to accept his offering. Inspecting the morsel, she asked skeptically, "Is it supposed to be green?"

F'linu laughed. "Yes. It comes from the g'rama, a large domestic livestock animal that is raised for its meat." He bit off a piece of another strip and chewed. "It's not the type of meat that was in the stew that made you ill."

Hoshi sniffed the meat and carefully took a small bite. Surprisingly, the dried g'rama meat was tender, and the taste wasn't unpleasant, just different. Her initial hesitancy vanished and she took another bite as soon as she finished the first one.

"I just hope I can keep it down," she muttered when she had consumed the entire piece.

"It is a pity that you are having trouble digesting our food," he said. "It will make it much harder for you to live comfortably among us."

Hoshi stared at him where he was seated on the other side of the small fire. She didn't like the turn the conversation had taken.

A sudden flash of lightning was followed by the sound of thunder. None of the lightning strikes had come as close as the first one when she had run from the cave, and the rain had slacked off enough that they could talk without shouting. But there were no signs that the storm was abating.

"What do you mean -- live comfortably among you?" she asked after the thunder had dissipated.

F'linu considered her thoughtfully as he chewed. "I was wrong when I told you we didn't want anything from you, other than to prevent you from helping the government."

His eyes traversed her form as he continued, "I find you attractive, even in your somewhat disheveled state right now."

She shuddered, which didn't go unnoticed by F'linu.

"Don't worry," he said. "I won't force you to do anything...now."

He took another piece of meat from the package and held it out to her. When she wouldn't take it from him, his eyes hardened, and she could see the gold rings around his irises expand, reflecting the firelight.

"Take it!" he ordered her. "I don't want to have to carry you out of here because you are weak from hunger."

She reached over and took the piece of meat. Resignedly, she began to eat as he continued to talk.

"I have come to the conclusion that you are too valuable to the Lanari Liberation League to let you go. While I find you attractive, the needs of my organization outweigh my personal desires. Therefore, you will give your fortune to me, for the LLL's use."

Hoshi almost choked as she tried to swallow a bite of the g'rama meat and talk at the same time. "Give you my fortune!"

"Yes," F'linu responded. "I have done my research. You inherited your spouse's shipping business when he died. When you sold it, you became incredibly wealthy. How else could you set up the medical clinics on Estab?"

Not waiting for an answer from her, he stood up and turned to look out at the rain. "Your money will be much more useful to the LLL, helping it to overthrow the government."

"What?" Hoshi scrambled to her feet. "I won't allow any of my money to finance your insurgent group."

"Oh, you will," he replied, turning back to face her. "If you won't do it voluntarily, there are certain Lanari drugs that can take your will away. Under their influence, you will be more than happy to do anything I say, anything from giving me total control of your fortune to sharing my bed. And there will be nothing you can do about it."

She saw the fanatical gleam in his eyes. He wasn't bluffing -- he really believed what he was saying. There would be no chance of talking him into letting her go.

She had no idea how the drugs he was talking about would affect her, but that was a secondary concern compared to what the drugs might do to the baby she was carrying.

To protect the baby, there was only one thing she could do. She was going to have to escape again.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

For lack of any better place to ride out the storm, Kleth and Slanea gathered some downed tree limbs and stacked them against a fallen trunk on a hillside out of the wind. Kleth had placed Trip under the dubious shelter of the trunk, and they built the lean-to around him.

Slanea found some large leaves that could be layered to provide an adequate shield from the rain. As it was under the tree canopy, the downpour wasn't quite as powerful as it had been by the stream. Kleth's biggest concern was that a weakened branch might break free and fall down on them, and he quickly improvised a lattice framework of tree branches for the water-repelling leaves to be woven into. The framework might stop a falling limb, provided it didn't weigh too much.

Trip began to come around as they were finishing the roof of the small structure. His moaning alerted Slanea, who rushed inside and helped him to a more comfortable sitting position.

"You look like a wet cat," he told her, grimacing at the pain in his arm. At her snarl, he amended, "A wet, ticked-off cat."

"You were lucky," she said. "You could have been killed."

As Kleth came in from the rain and hunkered down next to him, Trip asked, "How'd ya get me out of there? Last thing I remember was slammin' into that rock, and then..." His brow furrowed as he concentrated, and he looked at Slanea in amazement as the events came back to him. "You came in after me!"

She gave him a half smile as she began ripping his sleeve.

"Ow! That hurts! What are ya doin'?"

"Your arm is broken," Kleth said, holding Trip steady as Slanea tore off the sleeve. "We need to see how bad it is before we can determine how to help you."

Through gritted teeth, Trip asked, "Where are Malcolm and P'kora?"

"They went on. They are on the other side of the flood," Kleth said.

"What? I went through all that and didn't make it across?"

Kleth heard Slanea snort before she said, "Now is the time you begin to curse, isn't it?" At Trip's befuddled stare, she added, "That is what you do in engineering when things go wrong."

"I'm feelin' a little under the weather right now, pardon the pun, so maybe you'll just do it for me."

"You are teasing me again, yes?" she asked.

Kleth watched the byplay with interest. Slanea was taking as much care as any Klingon would with a fallen comrade, but he couldn't tell if there was something more. Perhaps they were developing what humans called a working relationship. That could explain her devotion to her superior, although she had been hovering over him an inordinate amount ever since dinner aboard the Falcon.

A lot had happened since then. What had started out as a gathering of two good friends and one potential mate had rapidly escalated into this grand adventure. He couldn't have asked for a better test of Slanea's worthiness.

Her contributions to the mission could not be overlooked. First, she had disabled the cargo hauler and rounded up the rebel Lanaris without a word of instruction. She had easily kept up with the group as they moved through the forest, and her keen eyes had picked out the trail of those they followed. She had even, with his help, saved the life of one of their group, calling upon her strength and determination to do so. Her honor had come through the entire ordeal untarnished.

There was that moment when they'd entered the forest and she had been complaining loudly about the miserable plant life on this planet. Although he'd reprimanded her harshly, he had secretly been pleased. If she had gone the entire journey without voicing her displeasure at something, he would have found her to be bland and uninteresting, not to mention being too compliant and willing to follow the others' lead.

Now she was ministering to Trip, tying straight branches to his arm to keep it immobile so the break could not become worse. Kleth hadn't realized she had had survival training.

There was a lot about her that he didn't know. This could be the perfect opportunity to find out.

Except for one thing -- it would be difficult for them to talk with Trip sitting between them, especially if the Human was to be one of the topics of their conversation.

With a grunt, he sat down, trying to find a comfortable position for his considerable size in the close confines of their shelter, and began running his fingers through his wet beard, wringing out some of the water.

"So, what do we do now?" Trip asked, glancing first at Kleth and then at Slanea.

Slanea flicked her gaze over to Kleth, waiting for him to speak. Kleth realized by her deferential attitude there might still be a chance for them to develop their own relationship, one more along the lines of what he'd originally had in mind when she had knocked him to the deck of the Morning Star.

Kleth didn't reply directly. Instead, he pulled out his communicator and tried to contact the Falcon. When only static could be heard, he told the others, "We wait."

* * *

"I told you it wouldn't work," P'kora called over his shoulder as he and Malcolm slogged along. 

When the downpour had lessened slightly, Malcolm had tried to contact the Morning Star but had heard only the same static that had ended his conversation with Kleth back at the ravine. Grumbling, he closed the communicator and put it back in his pocket.

"How long do these storms last?" he asked P'kora as they skirted a fallen limb.

"About a day, usually. The interference will clear up when it is past."

They were both soaked to the skin. The only thing working in their favor was that they were moving at a fairly good pace, their exertion keeping them warm. Malcolm knew it would be only a matter of minutes before they were chilled if they stopped.

They kept moving, any noise their passage might make drowned out by the roar of the wind and rain. P'kora, he noticed, would glance up at the canopy frequently. Malcolm was about to ask why he was doing that when the Lanari stopped abruptly in front of him and threw out his arm to halt him as well.

Within seconds, a large tree limb crashed to the ground directly in front of them.

P'kora shot him a glance and yelled, "You can't hear them with all the other noise."

From then on, Malcolm divided his attention between their path and the treetops. At least the lightning seemed to have abated. There was no way he could dodge something like that.

As they trudged along, Malcolm knew he owed this Lanari. Without his help, they never would have been able to begin tracking Hoshi. And his expertise in the forest was priceless. Once they found Hoshi and made sure she was safe, he would have to figure out some way to repay the man, especially if P'kora lost his job because he had helped them.

"How much farther?" he called out, hoping the Lanari would hear him.

P'kora turned in his tracks to face Malcolm and waited until the human was closer.

"Over the next rise," he said as Malcolm joined him. "We won't have to worry about being quiet, but we will have to be careful to stay in concealment as we approach the cave."

"It's a cave?"

"More like a depression in a hillside, but it's a good shelter."

"How do you know about this place?"

Giving Malcom a smile, he said. "I used to play here when I was a boy. It was my secret place to go when I couldn't deal with my parents, or school, or---"

"I get the picture," Malcolm said, cutting him off. Much as he appreciated P'kora's help, standing here talking wasn't getting him any closer to Hoshi.

P'kora nodded and began moving again, Malcolm falling in behind him once more.

Malcolm was wet, he was tired, and he was worried. The last information Trip had gleaned from the scanner before it was lost in the stream was that the two bio-signs were together and were stationary. That had to mean Hoshi and F'linu were holed up somewhere out of the storm. He only wished he knew for sure they were in the place P'kora was taking him.

He told himself he would find Hoshi soon, and hoped that nothing had happened to her. He refused to believe differently. He couldn't, else his determination might falter, and that wouldn't help either of them.

* * *

Hoshi moved as far away from F'linu as she could. She found herself against the back wall of the small cave again. The Lanari seemed more amused than anything else by her reaction, and had stayed next to the fire. 

His fanatical zeal had calmed somewhat since telling her his plans. Funny, she hadn't thought fanatics had a lot of patience. She thanked her lucky stars that she was stuck with one of the few who apparently did. For the time being, she was relatively safe. She was fairly sure the situation would remain stalemated until the storm passed.

Looking past him, she could see the rain was still falling heavily outside. She was tired of the rain, but she also didn't really want it to stop. As long as it kept coming down, they'd have to stay put, and F'linu wouldn't do anything to her -- she hoped.

Once they were on the move again, she would have to escape. She didn't think she could outrun him, but maybe she could push him off a cliff back at the ravine if they went that way.

A wave of dejection washed over her as heavily as the rain falling outside, and she became aware of her tiredness again. As she sat with her back against the far wall of the little cave, she realized she was getting hungry again, but she had too much pride to ask F'linu if he had any more of the meat strips.

Seeing her settled, F'linu turned his back and gazed out at the landscape. He stood like that for a long time, and Hoshi watched him, unwilling to close her eyes lest she fall asleep and he could come close to her without her knowing.

She wondered what Malcolm was doing right now. Was he on the Morning Star, overseeing the installation of the phase cannons? He thought she didn't know about them, but she had seen the invoice for their purchase. After everything they'd been through together, she didn't blame him for wanting to be able to protect the ship. She wouldn't let on about knowing about the cannons until he told her. There was no reason to spoil his fun, she thought with a rueful smile.

A phase cannon would come in handy right now, she thought as she stared at F'linu's back. What she wouldn't give for even a good-size rock to crack him over the head. She let her gaze roam around the cave, looking for anything she could use as a weapon.

There was nothing. No rocks, no loose dirt she could throw in his eyes. Nothing.

Over by the fire, however, there were some stout sticks that F'linu had brought in. If she could get her hands on one when his attention was distracted...

F'linu turned back to look at her, and she flinched guiltily, pulling her gaze away from the sticks. He was pretty good at guessing what she was thinking, although it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that she wanted to get away from him.

"I have to go out," he said. "Don't try to run. I will be right outside."

Hoshi was puzzled why he would want to go out in the downpour until she realized that he probably had to relieve himself. Thank goodness he wasn't going to do that in the cave, she thought.

And then she realized it was the perfect opportunity.

She wasn't going to make a run for it. He would be expecting that. Instead, as soon as he had moved past the foliage screening the opening, she scooted over to the pile of branches and found the biggest one. Grasping it firmly, she got to her feet and stood to one side of the opening, poised to hit him as soon as he came back in.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's note: Three chapters today. Hoping to get this puppy posted in its entirety before the holidays hit.

CHAPTER 15

The wind picked up as they reached the crest of the hill. P'kora leaned closer to Malcolm to be heard as he pulled him down to a squatting position.

"They won't hear us, but they might be able to see us," he said loudly in Malcolm's ear.

"Where's the cave?" Malcolm asked.

Pointing to the opposite hillside, P'kora said, "There -- where all the vines are hanging down."

Malcolm could barely see across the small valley through the pouring rain. Once he knew what he was looking for, however, he spotted the opening, along with a flicker of light.

"They've got a fire going," he said.

P'kora grunted. Gesturing to the side, he indicated the route they should take to descend. He moved out stealthily, Malcolm close behind, each of them trying to keep to whatever cover they could find.

The Lanari was moving across the slope as they worked their way down so they could approach the spot from the side. Once they reached the valley floor, they circled farther around so they could come upon the shelter without being seen by anyone inside who might be looking out.

Malcolm took the lead from P'kora and was cautiously moving toward their goal when he saw the vines at the opening pushed aside. Ducking behind some shrubbery, he pulled P'kora down with him, and they peered out between the fronds.

A tall Lanari who had to be F'linu emerged from the shelter and looked around before taking a few steps to one side, hitched the rifle he was carrying on a strap higher on his shoulder, and turned to face a tree. As the man continued to stand there, Malcolm had to suppress a grin as he realized what F'linu was doing.

He glanced at P'kora, who nodded, and the two men sprung from their concealment, quickly covering the distance between them and the unsuspecting Lanari.

F'linu, preoccupied and unable to hear them over the drone of the rain, was taken unawares. The first indication he had that he was not alone was the tip of P'kora's rifle barrel touching his neck just below one ear.

Malcolm quickly relieved F'linu of his rifle before frisking him. His search turned up a knife and a small handgun, both of which he pocketed. Finished with that task, Malcolm took a few steps back.

"Turn around," P'kora ordered.

F'linu slowly turned to face them. He was taller than P'kora, and the police supervisor wasn't a small person. Malcolm didn't think he'd like to fight this man hand-to-hand.

Now that they'd caught F'linu, Malcolm's gaze shifted to the opening of the shelter. Hoshi had to be in there. He took a step in that direction, intent on getting to her, when he heard P'kora shout.

In the next instant he was shoved from behind, and fell face first into the mud. Rolling over quickly, he took in the scene in an instant.

A massive tree limb had come crashing to the ground, unheard over the barrage of the storm. If P'kora hadn't pushed him, he would have been struck and, judging by the size of the branch, killed. The Lanari police supervisor was an arm's length away, also sprawled on the ground.

The limb had fallen between them and F'linu. Pushing himself up, Malcolm looked over at the other side of the thick branch and its leaves.

F'linu was gone.

* * *

Hoshi's sweat-soaked clothing hadn't completely dried, and she was shivering violently as she waited for F'linu to return. If she came down with pneumonia, she was going to be so mad at herself. 

She'd probably only get one chance, so she would have to make the most of it and catch F'linu off-guard. If she couldn't knock him down with the first blow, she seriously doubted she'd get a second try. The Lanari was much bigger than she was, and there was no way she could to win any type of physical skirmish with him.

One way to even the odds, she determined, would be to extinguish the fire. He wouldn't be able to see very well in the cave if the only light was from outside, and it might give her an extra moment or two as his eyes adjusted to the dimness. Dropping the branch, she hastily put out the fire.

Grabbing the branch again, she kept her eyes on the entrance. She would have to rely on her sight to alert her to his return as the storm was still too loud to hear him approach. Standing a little to one side of the opening, she held the branch ready to swing at him as soon as he set foot inside.

No sooner had she had gotten into position than the vines shook as a hand pushed them aside. She could see a silhouette. As he stepped into the cave, she swung the branch as hard as she could.

The shock of the branch's impact stung her arms, and she heard a muffled "oomph" as the person dropped to his knees and clutched at his mid-section. Dropping the branch, she gathered herself to jump over the body obstructing the opening when details began to register in her brain.

This man wasn't tall enough to be F'linu and he wasn't wearing the same clothes. And he looked an awful lot like...

"Malcolm!" she cried, dropping to her knees beside him and grabbing him in a fierce embrace. "Oh, Malcolm! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you. I thought you were F'linu. He's the person who kidnapped me. What are you doing here? I thought you were..."

As she ran out of words, she heard Malcolm laughing, one arm wrapped around his torso where he'd been struck.

"What's so funny?" she asked as he held her against him with his free arm and began raining kisses on her face.

"You," he said. "To think I was worried about you. You seem to be doing fine without me. Remind me never to get you mad at me in future."

"Malcolm! We've got to get out of here." She shook him as she clutched at him. "He's going to be back--"

She screamed as a body blocked out the faint light from outside. Scrabbling around on her hands and knees for the branch she had dropped, she was almost incoherent. "Malcolm! Do something! It's him. It's--"

"Hoshi! Calm down," Malcolm said, slowly getting to his feet, still holding his bruised stomach. "It's not F'linu."

Pushing herself back on her heels, Hoshi tipped back too far and lost her balance, and wound up sitting down ungracefully on her rump. She stared up as the tall Lanari entered and said, "Oh."

"This is P'kora. He's a police supervisor," Malcolm said by way of introduction. Addressing the Lanari, he asked, "Did you find him?"

"No," P'kora replied, "but I have found his trail."

"Uh, guys?" Hoshi put in from her spot on the floor. When both men looked down at her, she asked, "What do we do now? F'linu's still out there running around, and there's this storm and..." Looking mournfully at Malcolm, she burst out, "I just want to go home!"

Malcolm squatted next to her and put a hand on her shoulder, which he squeezed lightly. "It's going to be a while yet, I'm afraid."

Hoshi reached up to squeeze his hand in return despite her disappointment. "Guess we're stuck in this cave for a while, huh?" she said.

"Guess so."

P'kora cleared his throat. "You two should stay here, yes. I'm going to track F'linu."

Malcolm stood back up to face the policeman. "It's too dangerous out there right now. You said so yourself."

Hoshi began to shake as the two men argued. Must be reaction to the whole situation, she figured, clasping her arms around herself. She was cold again, too. This couldn't be good for the baby, she thought, and shook even harder.

"You have found her," she heard the Lanari say. "That is why you came here. There is no need for you to do any more. However, if I catch F'linu, my superiors may overlook the fact I did this without authorization. I will contact you as soon as the weather permits."

Reaching into his pocket, P'kora pulled out a lighting device similar to the one Hoshi had seen F'linu use. "Here. You will need this."

He handed it to Malcolm and, without further comment, spun around and slipped back through the vines, leaving them swinging in his wake.

Malcolm stared after him for a moment. Then Hoshi's teeth began chattering and he took in her soggy appearance.

"Let's get the fire going again, shall we?" he said, kneeling down to arrange the half-burned branches and looking around for dry tinder to help start it.

Hoshi was shivering too hard to help him. She watched anxiously as he gathered up some dry leaves and placed them strategically on the pile.

"For heaven's sake!" she said between teeth chatters. "Light...the damned...thing."

Malcolm didn't answer. He concentrated on getting the fire started with the leaves, and fed a few twigs to the tiny flame that took hold. When the fire began to greedily consume that fuel, he added larger branches until there was a bright, cheery blaze.

Hoshi sighed as she felt the warmth from the fire reach her, and she scooted a little closer to the blaze. Malcolm came to sit next to her, putting one arm around her.

"We're both pretty wet," he said.

"You're even...more soaked...than...I am," she stammered.

Malcolm sighed as he pulled her closer, pressing her head against his chest. "At least I'm still fairly warm from running around in the forest."

"Can't you contact the ship to get us transported out of here?" she asked plaintively.

"Afraid not, Hoshi," he said, giving her a light kiss on the top of her head. "The storm is generating some type of interference. We'll have to wait until it's over."

Hoshi grumbled as she wiggled as close to him as she could get. He was right -- he was nicely warm despite being wet.

"I wonder how Trip is getting along," he said, and told her about their headlong rush through the forest, only to be separated by the accident at the stream. "Kleth and Slanea should be taking good care of him," he added.

"Slanea?" Hoshi asked curiously. "Who's Slanea?"

* * *

Trip had fallen into an exhausted sleep, for which Kleth was grateful. He and Slanea had tried to make Trip comfortable but there wasn't much they could do. The engineer's arm was in the makeshift splint, and the gash on his forehead wasn't deep and had stopped bleeding on its own. 

At least, Kleth mused as he watched Trip sleep, the human was quiet, which was somewhat of a phenomenon. He had yet to figure out how the engineer could always find so much to talk about.

Turning away from Trip, Kleth stared out at the pouring rain. His battle garb was wet, but he voiced no complaint. It would serve no purpose other than to besmirch the honor he had gained in this trial.

He had to admit he never would have expected to be involved in such adventures when he had formed the shipping partnership with Ma'Com. These humans constantly amazed him.

Glancing across Trip at Slanea, he growled softly as he caught her eye. To his surprise, she growled softly back. That was a good sign. Perhaps she was receptive to him after all.

"Tell me," he said, "how is it that you came to be aboard a human ship outside the Empire?"

Her growl turned into a snarl at his words, and for a moment he thought she was going to launch herself across the body of their fallen friend and attack him. When he didn't react, her snarl smoothed out and she peered at him curiously.

"You are truly interested," she said in amazement as she looked at him.

"Yes."

She shifted her gaze to the rain falling outside their lean-to, and Kleth waited patiently for her to speak. In the meantime, he admired her profile, strong and straight, her dark hair glistening with drops of rain. She was a beauty by all Klingon standards, and his heart begin to race in a manner he hadn't felt in a long time.

Her voice was low when, still staring at the dreary landscape,she began to speak.

"I am the oldest of my siblings," she said. "There are three of us, all female, much to my father's disappointment."

Kleth could relate to that. Every Klingon father wished for at least one strong son. To say her father was disappointed by having three female offspring was an understatement.

"We are not a strong house," she continued. "Father works for the military, but in a clerical position. He has had little chance to earn honor or advancement, other than by doing his job well."

"There is nothing wrong with that," Kleth rumbled sympathetically.

"No, there isn't," she agreed, turning to face him. "We have tried to tell him that. But it is not enough for him. He always comes up with one plan after another, trying to advance our house."

She looked down at her hands, which were clenched on her lap. "His latest plan involved marrying into a house with more prestige. Being the oldest, and as my sisters are not yet of an age to mate, I was the only one who could be married off."

She snarled again, but this time it was at a memory and not Kleth. "My father found a suitable candidate," she said. "Suitable for him, not for me. The man he picked was old and ugly, and not in good health. But he was willing to pay Father to marry me so that he could have someone to clean up after him."

Looking Kleth in the eye, she uttered a short, harsh laugh. "I would not have been a mate -- I would have been a nursemaid! I find no honor in marrying for that purpose." Looking away, she added, "There would have been no possibility of children. While my father might have gained prestige and money from the bargain, the house into which he would have me marry would ultimately die out and wither away."

Kleth let her sit alone with her thoughts without interruption. What she had told him so far had confirmed his earlier belief. She was a strong woman, and she needed a strong mate.

"I could not live the way my father wanted," she finally said. "I left. Perhaps not an honorable thing to do to my family, but what my father wanted me to do was worse. I am trained as an engineer, so it was not hard to find work outside the Empire."

Lowering her voice, she finished her tale. "I send most of my pay home to my mother. She understands my position, although she cannot tell my father that. And they need the money. She is using it to make sure my sisters are trained well enough that they will be able to stand on their own as I have, and not be forced into a dishonorable match."

Kleth watched as her shoulders slumped. No doubt she was waiting for him to berate her for disobeying her father. It is what the majority of Klingon males would do, so ingrained were the nuances of their strict culture that a child's willful disobedience would be seen as a reason to disown that child.

But he wasn't a typical Klingon male. As her story had unfolded, he felt as is he were in the presence of a kindred spirit, one who valued personal honor over the demands of a culture that could be unreasonable and unbending.

Now if he could convince her that she was worthy, he would be that much closer to having found a life mate.

Reaching out over Trip's supine form between them, he touched her face and turned it toward him. Unflinching deep brown eyes under proud forehead ridges gazed into his.

He growled quietly, and heard an answering rumble from her as she bared her teeth, nipping sharply at the palm of his hand where it rested on her cheek.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Hoshi stopped shivering eventually, but by then Malcolm had begun to shudder. While her clothes had been uncomfortably clammy, having been dampened by sweat, Malcolm had gotten soaked to the skin in the rain.

"Get closer to the fire," she ordered him. "And take off your outer clothes."

Malcolm looked askance at her where she was nestled in the crook of his arm. She really was very good at issuing orders. No wonder she had done well commanding a ship full of Klingons. "Yes, Captain," he said with a smirk.

She snorted and pulled away from him, leaning over to grab a branch to stir up the blaze that lit the little cave.

"The last thing this baby needs is for his or her father to die from exposure," she said. "Besides, you're making a puddle where you're sitting."

"You're going to use the baby as an excuse to get me to do all sorts of things, aren't you?" Malcolm asked with a smile as took off his holstered disruptor and began to peel off his shirt. "If it's half as strong-willed as its mother, I am going to be in deep trouble."

Hoshi's soft laughter as she poked at the fire was like salve for his battered soul. He had never experienced anything like the relief he had felt when he finally found her, but he was still worried. He didn't know much about women during pregnancy, other than they sometimes suffered wild mood swings and had unusual food cravings.

Hoshi appeared to be all right, but he couldn't help but wonder what effect the ordeal had had on their child. If he was this worried, she had to be doubly so.

He closed his eyes as all the "what ifs" which had been with him the last two days ran through his head. The worst one was if she had been killed. Giving himself a shake that had more to do with his gloomy brooding than the chill from the wet clothing, he banished the morbid thoughts.

There were no more "what ifs." He was with her and she was safe. That's all that mattered.

Hoshi gathered up his discarded shirt and pants, removing F'linu's knife and handgun before wringing out the clothes and placing them near the fire to dry. That task accomplished, she came to sit by him again. He lifted his arm so she could cuddle up next to him, and he felt her relax as she settled herself.

They sat in silence, watching the flames. Between the fire and Hoshi's body heat, Malcolm slowly warmed up, and his shivering began to subside. The feel of her pressed up against him led to other thoughts, and he began to heat up in another way.

He was about to suggest something when Hoshi yawned.

"I'm so tired," she said. "The doctor said I'd be like this the first trimester."

A wave of guilt washed over Malcolm. How could he have been thinking about his desires when he should have been considering her needs? He coaxed her onto his lap and placed her head on his shoulder where he could look down at her.

"You just go to sleep," he said, pushing back a few stray strands of hair from her face. "You've earned it."

She snuggled against him and sighed. She yawned a few more times, and just before she drifted off to sleep, he heard her say softly, "I'm glad you found me. I feel safe now."

His arms tightened protectively around her, and he sat holding her, keeping her safe and warm as she slept.

* * *

Trip wasn't sure what woke him -- the pain or the god-awful noise. Keeping his eyes closed, he concentrated on what his other senses were telling him. 

Right now, they were telling him his arm hurt like hell. He'd been lucky it was a simple fracture, not a compound one through the skin, but it still hurt. The makeshift splint wasn't too comfortable, either.

He could almost ignore the pain for what sounded like two cats fighting. Hissing, growling, snarling, spitting... It almost sounded like... No, that couldn't be Slanea making some of those noises, could it?

Daring to open one of his eyes a slit, he looked cautiously around the interior of the lean-to. Neither Kleth nor Slanea was inside the shelter with him.

That meant they had to be outside, his pain-hazed mind slowly concluded. And if they were out there with that hellish noise, it had to mean they were fighting some type of horrible beast.

"Hey! Guys?" he yelled, trying to push himself upright with his uninjured arm and only partially succeeding. "Hey! Are you OK?"

All sounds from outside, except the constant patter of the rain, ceased abruptly.

"Kleth?" Trip called out hesitantly. "Slanea?"

He heard a muttered Klingon curse and Kleth's massive form blocked the opening of the lean-to. Trip sighed in relief, falling back to lay flat again.

"Did you kill something out there?" he asked as Kleth, crouching, entered the shelter.

"No," the Klingon replied curtly.

"Well, what the heck was that? Sounded like you were skinnin' a cat alive."

Kleth didn't answer. He made a show of inspecting Trip's injured arm but, despite being careful, he jostled it accidentally.

"Ow! Be careful, would ya! And you're drippin' on me. Do ya mind?"

Kleth stared down at him and growled, water running from his hair and beard down onto his breastplate.

Slanea picked that moment to scurry into the lean-to. She looked more dishelved than earlier, and she was cinching her belt. She and Kleth traded a heated look, and Trip's gaze went from one to the other. He could almost feel the tension in the air.

"You two aren't fightin' again, are ya?" he asked suspiciously, wondering if he was going to have to referee a spat between them.

Two sets of dark Klingon eyes turned to glare at him. "No!" they said in unison.

"O-kaaaay," Trip said, drawing out the second syllable.

He struggled to rise to a sitting position. Slanea leaned over to help him as Kleth sat back on his heels, watching.

"What's the situation?" Trip asked when he was in an upright position.

Kleth and Slanea traded a glance, and Trip could swear he saw Kleth smirk before he answered. There's one Klingon who's been hanging around Malcolm too much, he thought.

"It is still raining, the communicators still cannot break through the interference, and..."

"And?" Trip prodded when the Klingon's voice died away.

"And...Slanea and I have reached an understanding."

"Oh?" Trip's curious gaze shifted to Slanea. He could swear she was blushing, but she met his gaze unflinchingly.

"Yes," she said, and licked her lips.

"Oh!" Trip said again as comprehension dawned.

He closed his eyes in relief and felt the tension begin to leach from his body. Slanea had finally decided she liked Kleth. That was good.

He shivered involuntarily as he sat there, the cold seeping into his bones.

"You need to be warm," Kleth's deep voice said suddenly.

At Kleth's words, Trip had a terrifying vision of being sandwiched naked between two equally naked Klingons, sharing their body heat. And they had just reached an "understanding."

He heaved a great sigh when Kleth continued, "Come, Slanea. We will search for rocks that we can bring back and heat with our disruptors. These conditions don't bother Klingons, but humans are more fragile."

The Klingons crawled out of the lean-to, leaving Trip alone with his thoughts. He carefully eased himself back down, his weariness overpowering. Now, just so long as those two didn't start making that hellacious racket again, he might be able to pass out again and forget about the pain in his arm.

* * *

F'linu had been careful to leave a false trail before he doubled back to the cave. He didn't think the two men would follow him until they checked on the human female. 

Hoshi. Just the sound of her exotic name, so unlike any Lanari's, was enough to inflame him on a variety of levels. He found her undeniably desirable. He had so been looking forward to having her.

But that was secondary to what she represented for the Lanari Liberation League. If he could take control of her fortune, the LLL would be unstoppable. She probably didn't realize her financial assets were much greater the Lanari government's budget for a whole year. With such a resource, there would be no stopping the LLL. Weapons, equipment, bribes...there was no end to what her money could provide.

Along the way, he'd become the most powerful man on Lanari. Once the LLL took over, someone would have to lead the planet before elections were held -- if they were held at all, he thought to himself with a self-satisfied smile.

But none of that would happen if he didn't get her back.

Who were those two men who had almost caught him? One was a Lanari policeman, judging by the uniform. The other was human, like Hoshi, so perhaps he had some connection to her. Relative? Husband? Lover?

He shook his head, both at the thought and to shake away some of the rain. It didn't matter who the man was. F'linu wouldn't allow a mere off-worlder to thwart his plans.

That he had been relieved of his weapons presented a problem. He would have to be careful, moving only when the time was right. He doubted they would expect him to return to confront them.

A noise ahead alerted him, and he squatted behind some bushes just before the Lanari policeman came into view. F'linu held his breath as the man passed by, several meters away, intent on the false trail.

Only one of the men was tracking him. That meant the other was with her, probably still in the shelter. F'linu waited several minutes before moving again, heading quickly in the direction of the cave. Despite his lack of weapons, he should be able to dispatch the lone human male with her easily.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

Malcolm stared out at the rain over Hoshi's head. She was nestled on his lap, leaning against his chest, sleeping peacefully.

Not that he didn't mind sitting in his skivvies with Hoshi on his lap, but he was starting to get chilly again. He needed to stir up the fire, which had burned down, and he wanted to see if his shirt had dried enough to put back on. Gently easing her off his lap, he settled her on the floor of the cave. She must be exhausted if he could do that without waking her.

He went over to the fire and stirred it with a branch. He added a few more pieces, and it blazed up brightly. The heat felt good, and he stretched to loosen his cramped muscles.

His pants were still soggy, but the shirt, made of a lighter material, was almost completely dry. He shrugged into it and immediately felt warmer.

Noticing the handgun and knife he had taken from F'linu lying on the ground next to his disruptor led his thoughts off on another tangent, and he wondered how P'kora was getting along tracking the insurgent leader.

Malcolm was still torn. He had wanted to assist the Lanari, but he also knew Hoshi needed him with her.

He owed P'kora. Without his help, he never would have been able to find Hoshi. Perhaps when this was over, if P'kora was kicked off the police force, Malcolm could find some sort of job for him aboard the Morning Star. It wouldn't bother him to have a few more alien crewmembers. He already had a Klingon engineer, after all.

Operating a cargo ship wasn't without risk. Maybe he could create a position for P'kora that involved security and defense of the Morning Star. It would be just his cup of tea, Malcolm mused.

Hoshi mumbled something in her sleep, and Malcolm turned to look at her. His heart swelled with love as he stared down at her where she lay curled up on the ground. He had never envisioned the sort of predicament they were in when they had talked about starting a family.

Of one thing he was sure, however -- he was never, ever going to allow her to go off on her own alone again after this. She wouldn't like it, but that's the way it was going to be. He didn't know if he could bear to go through something like this again.

A flash of lightning drew his eyes back to the cave's entrance. If the infernal rain ever let up, he and Hoshi could make their way back to the stream. They'd have to find some way to cross it to rejoin Trip and the others.

The easiest thing would be if the communications interference cleared and he could contact Orwell aboard the Morning Star to have them beamed up. Easy, yes, but doubtful, considering how this whole affair had been going so far.

He hadn't really been seeing the scene outside as his thoughts occupied him. But an out-of-place movement suddenly caught his eye, and he gave his full attention to what he could see from the opening.

All the foliage was bent in one direction under the force of the wind, but Malcolm had seen a branch on a bush bend in the opposite direction. There was no way that could happen unless something -- or someone -- was exerting force against it, as if to hold it back so that a person could see out from behind it.

Not taking his eyes from the opening, he called softly to Hoshi. "Hoshi! Wake up!"

She mumbled and stirred sleepily.

"Hoshi! For heaven's sake, wake up!"

She blinked and yawned loudly. "What is it?"

"There's someone out there."

Her eyes flew open wide and she hastily got to her feet.

"Get me the disruptor," he said quietly, holding out his hand as she took a few steps toward him to peer over his shoulder.

In a moment, he felt the reassuring cold hardness of the disruptor in his palm, and his fingers closed around it. He heard a click and glanced at Hoshi. She was standing next to him, studying the Lanari handgun he had taken from F'linu.

"Don't even think about it," he told her.

"What?" she asked. "Like I'm going to let you have all the fun."

"Hoshi," he said, exasperated. "You shouldn't be taking chances in your condition."

"I'm pregnant, not crippled," she said. "What did you say?"

"I said, 'What did I do to deserve such a stubborn wife?'"

"We're not married yet," she snarked back at him.

Malcolm sighed. "All right. You keep the gun. Just don't get in my line of fire. OK?"

"Agreed."

They both peered out, looking for anything out of place. After a few minutes, Hoshi asked, "Is the rain letting up?"

Malcolm poked his head out through the hanging vines. Sure enough, the downpour had lessened. The rain was still coming down at a good clip, but not nearly as forceful as it had been.

"I think you're right," he said, pulling his head back in to find Hoshi staring at him. "What?" he asked.

"Sticking your head out like that wasn't the smartest thing to do if you think F'linu is out there."

"You're probably right, but he doesn't have any weapons. Where do think I got that gun you're holding and the knife?"

"Oh," she said, shifting on the balls of her feet. "Well, he might have a stash of weapons out there, for all you know."

"Doubt it." Malcolm frowned as a new thought struck him. "But he may have gotten the better of P'kora and taken some weapons from him. Damn! I wish I knew what was going on out there."

"Ah, Malcolm?"

He turned to look at her. "Yes?"

Biting her lip to keep from laughing, she glanced pointedly at his briefs. "You might want to put your pants on before anything else happens."

* * *

Kleth and Slanea had finally managed to get a fire going, and Trip could feel the warmth beginning to seep into him despite his wet clothing. The fire was definitely more mood elevating than the rocks they had heated with their disruptors. Safer, too, Trip thought, since one of the rocks had exploded from the energy of the disruptor beam hitting it. 

The two Klingons had killed an animal the size of a large dog for food. While they seemed to have no trouble eating it raw, Trip doubted he could take even one bite of it that way, and had convinced them to rig up a spit so that his portion could be roasted over the fire. He was watched Slanea as she rotated the haunch, cooking it evenly.

"I could do that myself," he told her.

"Yes, but there is no need for you to do so. I have nothing else to do."

Trip chuckled, then winced at the pain from his broken arm. "Yeah," he said. "I noticed Kleth's not around right now." At Slanea's glare, he hastily added, "I'm teasing! You should know that by now."

A smile softened her expression as she looked at him. "Yes, I should. And you should be able to tell I'm am teasing you as well."

Trip looked away under her fond scrutiny. He was uncomfortably aware of the way she had been acting toward him recently, in particular her close attention to him during the meal aboard the Falcon as well as the way she had been looking after him since he had been injured. Maybe this would be a good time to get some things out in the open.

"Ah, Slanea? There's somethin' I've been meanin' to talk to ya about."

"Yes?" she responded, continuing to turn the meat over the fire.

"Um. About the way you've been actin'..."

She gazed curiously at him, and he became flustered. Gathering up his courage, he plowed ahead. "Well, ya been actin' like you like me."

"Of course I like you."

"More than a friend, I mean."

"Of course. You are my superior aboard the Morning Star."

"Even more than that. ... Ya aren't makin' this any easier, sitting there starin' at me!" He stared back at her and suddenly blurted out, "Why have ya been comin' on to me?"

"'Coming on?'" she asked in puzzlement.

"Ya know, like you want to have...um...a more...intimate...relationship with me," he finally managed to get out.

He watched in fascination as her brow furrowed at his words. He hoped he hadn't made her angry, because he sure wasn't up to any kind of fight with her. He was surprised, then, when she turned away from him, studying the fire intently, but not before he had seen a blush begin to tinge her dark cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"For what?"

"It was not honorable of me to behave so," she said, gazing at the roasting meat as if it were the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

"What do ya mean, Slanea?"

"I did not realize you took my actions to mean something else," she said. "You are my superior officer on the Morning Star, and I was trying to be...nice," she ended with a grimace of distaste.

"Nice?" Trip's eyebrows shot up.

"So that you would give me a good report at the end of my probationary period."

"What!"

She turned to look at him but lowered her gaze in embarrassment as soon as their eyes met. "It was not honorable what I did. It had nothing to do with my abilities as an engineer. I believe you humans call it 'sucking up.'"

"Slanea--"

"I know now that I was wrong about humans in general, and you in particular," she said. "You would not let yourself be swayed by such obvious overtures. I ask your forgiveness for my miserable ploy to better my position."

Trip stared at her where she sat by the fire. She had been trying to butter him up to get a good review? She was a nice enough person, but she really wasn't his type, and he had been a bit put off by her attention. He felt a certain amount of relief as it sunk in that she hadn't been attracted to him.

Wait a minute! That was rather insulting in its own way. He was so damn confused at the moment.

He watched as she pulled the sizzling haunch from the spit, checking to see that it was cooked all the way through. She frowned as she handed it to him.

"Very dead and burned," she remarked.

"Thank you," he said and took a small, tentative bite.

She watched intently as he chewed and swallowed. Under her questioning gaze, he said, "Not too bad. A little gamey, but nothin' a good barbecue sauce couldn't fix."

"Barbecue?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Yeah. It's a sauce made of any number of ingredients that spices up the meat," he said. "For having lived among humans for a while, your knowledge of human cuisine is sadly lackin'. I'll introduce you to my Uncle Sylvester's county fair award-winnin' sauce when we get back to the Mornin' Star."

Trip was taking another, bigger bite as she puzzled over that statement when Kleth entered their shelter.

"I have scouted in all directions," the big Klingon announced. "There is no sign of the others."

"We'll just have to wait for them to come back," Trip said around a mouthful. "Unless you two want to go after them?"

Kleth and Slanea exchanged a look.

"What?" Trip asked. "I can look after myself here. Just leave me a disruptor and I'll be fine."

"You cannot sleep and maintain a watch at the same time," Kleth said firmly. "I will go. Slanea will stay with you."

"Kleth--" Trip started to protest.

"Do not argue with me!" Kleth said fiercely. "Someone must stay with you."

Without a further word, Kleth left the lean-to and headed in the direction of the stream. Trip had no idea how the Klingon would get across, but he didn't doubt for a moment that Kleth could do it.

Sighing, Trip said, "He sure is a stubborn cuss."

He heard Slanea sigh as well, and turned to look at her. "Yes, he is," she said admiringly as she gazed after Kleth's departing form.

Trip shook his head. He'd never understand Klingons.

* * *

Malcolm tried contacting the ship again but the communicator continued to emit only static. Putting it back in his pocket, he peered out at the rain which had slowed to a steady drizzle. 

"The storm seems to be almost over," he said, weighing their options and trying to come to a decision about what to do.

"But you still can't contact the Morning Star," Hoshi said.

He nodded. "We're just going to have to take matters into our own hands."

She watched as he put out the fire and tucked the knife into his belt. With a sinking feeling, she realized he meant for them to go outside.

Since Malcolm had shown up, she had felt safe in their small cave, but she knew it was an illusion. They wouldn't truly be safe until F'linu was caught and they were off this planet.

"We need to get back to Trip and the others," Malcolm said. Turning to her, he asked, "Are you up to it?"

"Of course. But what about the stream? You said it was flooded."

"The crest should have passed by now," he said. "We'll find some way across."

Lowering her voice, she said urgently, "If that's F'linu out there, he's going to follow us, you know."

"That's what I'm hoping," Malcolm said grimly as he hoisted the rifle onto his shoulder.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER 18

F'linu watched from concealment as Hoshi and the other human left the shelter of the cave. She took the lead at a gesture from the man, who kept glancing warily around.

They were headed in the direction of the flooded stream, no doubt trying to get back to the LLL compound where there might be a vehicle waiting for them. If he could overpower the man, he could force Hoshi to go with him and get to the rendezvous point with his own men.

He would have to be careful, though. He had no weapons, other than what he could fashion from the materials at hand in the forest. The human, however, had all of F'linu's weapons -- a rifle, a handgun, and a knife. F'linu could see some other type of handgun holstered on the human's hip as well.

F'linu also knew the Lanari policeman wouldn't be put off too long by the false trail he had laid, and he would have to keep an eye out for him returning.

As the pair walked away, F'linu cautiously began moving again. Knowing they were heading for the stream, he struck out on a parallel course, hoping to get there before they did. If he could get there first, he could set up an ambush.

He'd have to find the most likely place where they could cross. When their attention was focused on making it to the other side, he'd spring his attack.

Smiling grimly as he hurried along, he began thinking about all the ways he could use Hoshi's money.

* * *

Kleth stood at the edge of the stream. The initial crest had subsided, but the water was still swift and dangerous, full of debris carried along by the current. 

He let his gaze wander along the banks on both sides of the stream, searching for some way to cross. The tree trunk they had used earlier was gone, of course, swept away in splintered pieces when the leading edge of the flash flood had struck it.

He would not allow himself to be defeated by a force of nature. Perhaps there was a place where the stream broadened, and he would be able to wade across in shallower water. With that possibility in mind, he set out downstream, walking along the bank.

After a half hour's brisk walk, Kleth peered across the stream again. It was broader here and not as deep. Unfortunately, it was just as swift.

He was standing on a sandbar. Opposite was a tall cliff-like bank of stone. He couldn't see a path to the top, but there appeared to be adequate hand- and foot-holds. He had climbed much more difficult obstacles in his survival training. He should have no problem here after he crossed the stream.

The only difficulty he could see was that, once he got to the other side, he would have no place to stand before beginning to climb, and he couldn't tell how deep the water was at the base of the cliff. He would have to grab onto the cliff and begin his ascent immediately.

Savoring the challenge before him, he waded into the rushing water.

* * *

Trip groaned as he shifted position. The pain in his arm was getting worse. Or maybe it was because he was tired. Actually, exhausted was more like it. 

Some help he'd been, he thought sarcastically. So far he'd fallen off a log into a flood-swollen stream and about drowned, breaking his arm in the process, and had lost the scanner to boot.

He could be in worse company, he supposed, blearily watching Slanea as she added more fuel to the fire. At least they weren't fighting constantly any more. She could be almost pleasant, once you got used to her style.

Funny. Despite his wet clothing, he was starting to feel hot. Must be a combination of the heat from the fire and having his stomach full. His eyelids began to droop, and he saw Slanea gaze at him in concern as he drifted off to sleep. He was glad they had become friends. Much easier than arguing all the time...

He didn't feel her place her hand on his forehead, or see her eyes widen as she felt the heat radiating off him.

* * *

Hoshi plodded on, heading in the direction of the stream. The rain had stopped, but water continued to drip from the leaves high overhead, occasionally pelting her in the face. 

She looked over her shoulder at Malcolm. He hadn't talked much since they'd left the cave. She knew he was concerned that F'linu was following them. She was, too. She was glad Malcolm was able to keep a watchful eye out because she was too tired to do much more than put one foot in front of the other.

They had to get back to the others. If they could do that, there wouldn't be much F'linu could do to stop them. Strength in numbers and all that.

She wondered briefly about the Lanari policeman, P'kora, who was tracking F'linu. She desperately hoped F'linu hadn't done anything to hurt him, or worse, killed him. She would have to find out later how Malcolm had hooked up with him. From her limited contact with the Lanari government, she had gotten the impression most Lanaris wouldn't go out of their way to help anyone unless it was in their own interest.

Hoshi's foot suddenly slid on a wet patch of leaves. She fell, twisting at the last moment so that she wouldn't land on her stomach. At this early stage of pregnancy, a fall on her stomach probably wouldn't hurt the baby, she thought, but after all she'd been through the last few days, she wasn't going to take any chances.

"Hoshi!" she heard Malcolm call out as she hit the ground, the air knocked out of her.

She felt his hand grasp her upper arm as she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"Are you OK?" he asked.

She looked up at him and nodded wearily. "Just tired. I want to go home so badly."

"We're getting there," he assured her. "But it's going to be a while yet." He paused, his blue-grey eyes filled with concern. "We can stop and rest if you need to."

"No. We need to keep going. No sense stopping now."

"You're sure?"

She nodded again. "Let's get moving," she said.

Malcolm helped her to her feet and they set off, Hoshi in the lead. Malcolm followed, glancing behind to see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary that would indicate they were being followed.

* * *

P'kora was frustrated and angry. He had followed F'linu's trail for an hour before losing it, and had then spent several fruitless hours trying to pick it up again before realizing it had been a decoy. 

At that revelation, he had hurried back to the sheltered cave where he had left Captain Reed and Hoshi Sato.

Approaching the entrance, he could see the fire was out. He announced his arrival with a shout, but didn't get a reply.

He took a look around the area before sticking his head through the hanging vines shielding the cave opening. No one inside. Not that he expected to find them. But at least there didn't seem to be any sign of a struggle. They must have left on their own.

P'kora paused to take a drink from his canteen as he mulled over the situation. The humans were probably heading back to the stream, hoping to rejoin their friends.

He wasn't sure what F'linu would do. The man was clever. Somehow, though, he didn't think the LLL leader would be content just to get away. There was something else going on, and although P'kora didn't know what it was, his instincts were telling him that Captain Reed and his party were in danger.

Casting a glance overhead at the sky as he left the shelter, he was both glad and concerned that the rain was stopping. He would be able to travel faster, but so would F'linu.

* * *

Malcolm was worried. Hoshi's steps were unsteady. Only her stubbornness was keeping her moving. 

He was tired, and he hadn't been through half of what she had been. She had to be exhausted. Plus, she had the added strain of being pregnant. Not only were there additional demands on her body because of that, but he knew she had to be worried about the well-being of the baby growing inside her. He was still awed that he had helped create a new life, and now, as they walked along, he was experiencing a strong protective urge he didn't find unwelcome.

He tried to divide his attention between scanning their surroundings and checking on Hoshi. As long as she continued to go in the direction of the stream, he wouldn't interfere with where she was leading or ask her to pick up the pace.

What they would do when they got to the stream was another matter. He had no idea how they would cross it. They would have to see what the situation was when they got there. It was probably too much to hope that the flood waters had receded enough to let them cross easily.

Perhaps by the time they got there, Kleth would have figured out a solution to that problem. The big Klingon was resourceful, more so than most people Malcolm knew.

On a hunch, Malcolm reached into his pocket as they walked along and pulled out his communicator. The distinctive beep as he opened it drew Hoshi's attention, and she stopped to let him catch up to her.

"Reed to Kleth," he said into the device. "Do you read me?"

He gazed down into Hoshi's hopeful eyes as the sound of static came back.

"Reed to Kleth," he repeated. "Come in."

He watched as the hope in Hoshi's eyes dimmed as the only answer was static.

"It was just a thought," he said softly as he closed the communicator.

"A good one," she said. "Too bad it didn't work."

He hugged her with one arm as he pocketed the communicator. He could feel her sigh as she leaned against him.

"Come on," he said, gently pushing her away. "We need to keep moving. You said so yourself."

She grumbled as she turned her back on him and began trudging along again.

"I didn't catch that," he said as he followed her.

More loudly she said, "I said, 'So this time you have to agree with me on something?"

Malcolm had to smile at her comment. She was tired, but she was still fiesty. That was a good sign. They might just make it.

* * *

F'linu made good time. He reached the stream well ahead of the humans and scouted both up- and downstream, looking for a likely place to ford. 

He knew the stream was bounded on this side by a high bluff that ran for kilometers in both directions, so he looked for paths that animals may have made on their way down to drink. After several minutes of searching, he found exactly what he was looking for.

Positioning himself in some shrubbery, he settled down to wait. He couldn't see the stream from where he was, but that wasn't important. What he needed to see were the two humans when they approached, looking for a way down.

Again he began contemplating all the things he could do with Hoshi's fortune.

He knew she wouldn't give in willingly, so he would have to use the drugs he had told her about. Too bad they made the person little more than a stuffed doll, able only to speak when spoken to, with no will of his or her own.

But if it got him what he wanted, he could live with that. He'd keep her for her thumbprint and voice code recognition necessary to get to her fortune, and maybe allow the drugs to wear off occasionally for when he was in the mood for a combative bed partner.

With his lips stretched into a cruel smile, he settled in to wait for his quarry.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Malcolm peered down over the edge of the cliff. There was a drop of a good twenty meters to the water below.

"I don't think we can get down here," he said as he turned back to Hoshi, who was sitting on a fallen tree trunk while he inspected the cliff face.

"Figures," she muttered, her arms resting on her legs and her head hanging down.

Malcolm came to sit next to her as he considered their options. "Had any rock climbing experience?" he asked lightly.

She glared at him without raising her head. "No, and even if I did, I don't think I'm in any shape to try it right now," she answered testily.

He gave her an understanding smile and patted her shoulder. "Didn't think so. We'll find another way to get down." He paused, then asked, "Are you and the baby doing OK?"

He heard her sigh. "I suppose, considering I've been knocked out, have walked more in the last day than I have in an entire month, and have barely had anything to eat." She startled him by laughing. "That's the only good thing about all this."

"Why's that?"

"Since I haven't eaten anything, I haven't had to throw up. Well, except for back at the compound, but I think that was because I had a reaction to whatever it was they used to knock me out."

"You've been having morning sickness?" he asked.

She nodded. "Remember the bacon the other morning?" she asked. When he grunted at the memory, she continued, "It was probably OK to eat. It just smelled bad to me."

"I had no idea," he said. "Is that normal?"

"Malcolm," she said, sitting up straight and looking at him. "There apparently is a lot you don't know about pregnancy, but I really don't think this is the time or the place to be discussing it. You need to be concentrating on getting us out of this mess."

"Pregnant women get irritable a lot, too, don't they?" he asked, getting up quickly to avoid her half-hearted swipe at him.

He watched as she lowered her head again, holding it in her hands. Despite his attempt to distract her from their situation by acting dumb about pregnancy, he was worried. She needed to rest, and there was no sense in both of them scouting along the stream. He didn't want to leave her alone while he performed that task, but he had no choice.

Reaching for his holster, he withdrew the disruptor. "Here," he said, holding it out to her.

She looked up, saw the offered gun, and took it without hesitation. "I was wondering when you'd let me have a gun I know how to use," she said dryly as she gave him F'linu's handgun in return. "You look around and find us a way across. I'll be fine here."

"I won't be gone long," he said. "You might want to turn around and watch the other way. I seriously doubt anyone will be climbing up the cliff face and sneaking up on you that way."

She slowly spun around on the trunk until she was facing the jungle. "Go on," she told him, keeping an eye on the jungle. "The sooner you find a way out of here, the sooner we can go home."

Malcolm stepped over to her and, as he bent down to kiss her cheek, whispered quickly, "I love you even if you are irritable."

A small smile curved her lips as he pulled back, and they shared a long look before he turned to head off along the cliff face.

Walking away from her was hard to do. After all the worry, all the uncertainty of not knowing what had happened to her, the last thing he wanted to do was leave her sitting here by herself.

The sooner he could find a way to get across the stream, the sooner he could come back for her, Malcolm told himself, and he increased his pace.

* * *

Hoshi tried to concentrate. She was watching the jungle, her gaze darting to and fro, but she was paying more attention to what her ears were telling her than to what she was seeing. Her sensitive hearing always had been one of her strengths. 

Right now, she could hear faint breathing off to one side. She deliberately didn't look in that direction, not wanting to tip her hand that she knew someone was there. It had to be F'linu -- who else would be lurking around without announcing his presence?

He had to have been there when she and Malcolm had arrived at the top of the cliff, otherwise she would have heard him approaching. He also must have seen Malcolm leave a few minutes ago, and was biding his time before he tried to surprise her.

So here she was, sitting on a log, listening to F'linu watch her. She would have laughed at the absurdity of the situation except for the fact that she was going to have to face him alone. Malcolm was too far away by now for him to hear her if she shouted, so she wasn't going to expect any help from that quarter.

She had the disruptor, of course. And Malcolm had said he had taken all F'linu's weapons. The most the Lanari could have would be a sharpened stick or some such thing, she hoped, so she had the advantage in firepower.

Something better happen soon, she thought. Only adrenaline and nerves were keeping her going, and they wouldn't last long.

She almost jumped when she heard a slight movement from the same direction as the breathing. Her hand imperceptibly grasped the disruptor handle more tightly as she anticipated his attack. She'd wait until he had crossed half the distance between them, then turn and confront him.

As hard as she was concentrating on the minutest of sounds coming from F'linu to her left, she still caught an unmistakable whispery sound coming from her right. Risking a glance that way, her breath caught in her throat as she saw a snake creature slithering in her direction.

She gulped convulsively. With a tinge of hysteria, she wondered which reptile to shoot first -- F'linu or the real snake? The creature, at least twice as big as the first one she had seen, was headed right for her. The antennae on its head were vibrating and its lidless eyes seemed to be locked on her gaze.

"Look away from it!" she heard F'linu hiss behind her. "It's trying to hypnotize you!"

No way was she taking her eyes off the snake. Instead, she squeezed the trigger of the disruptor and fired. Her shot hit it in the head, killing it.

"No!" yelled F'linu, running up to grab her from behind before she could spin around and point the disruptor at him.

"Let me go!" she screamed, trying to yank her arms free from his grasp.

"They live in pairs!" he said, trying to restrain her as he glanced fearfully around the area. "There's another one around here somewhere, and you just killed its mate."

Hoshi abruptly stopped fighting him as a pile of leaves a few meters away began to quiver. As she watched in horrified fascination, the head of an even bigger snake poked up, its eyes glaring balefully at her.

F'linu still had a grip on her upper arms but she had kept hold of the disruptor. She tried to take aim at the new snake, but the Lanari saw what she was doing and shook her, making her shot go wide.

"What are you doing?" she cried in disbelief.

"I can't let you kill another one," he said. "It's an endangered species."

"I'm the one who's endangered right now! Let me go!" she yelled, punctuating the last statement with a hard jab of her elbow to his ribs.

"Ow!" F'linu groaned as he released her to clutch at his side.

Hoshi stumbled a few steps to the side, her head swiveling around as she tried to locate where the snake had gone.

"Damn, they move fast for something that big," she muttered. Holding the disruptor on F'linu as she glanced around, she added more loudly, "Don't even think about jumping me."

"It's not me you need to worry about," he said.

Hoshi had no time to wonder what he meant as she felt something coolly slick touch her ankle. Before she could react, the snake wrapped itself around her leg and pulled her down, the force of her impact on the ground knocking the disruptor from her hand.

Trying to pry the muscled coil from her ankle, she was aware of F'linu dash for the disruptor.

"Shoot it!" she screamed at him as she felt the coil tighten and she began to slide across the leaf-littered ground as the snake pulled her away.

F'linu scooped up the gun and turned toward her. She could see the indecision on his face. Of all the nuts who could have kidnapped her, she had to be stuck with a fanatical insurgent who was concerned about wildlife.

"Shoot!" she screamed again, but he hesitated, and the snake pulled her another meter across the ground.

Hoshi gave up trying to free her leg from the vise-like grip, focusing instead on slowing her progress along the ground. She grabbed at a bush as she was dragged by it, but it came up by the roots as the snake unrelentingly pulled her along.

"F'linu!" she yelled in desperation. "Either the snake gets to live or you get my money! Pick one!"

She slid another meter and began to panic as she realized the snake was dragging her into the underbrush. She threw her arms out, grabbing at a tree trunk, but her hands slid on its bark, unable to gather even the smallest fingerhold.

The snake halted its slow progression. Hoshi, who had been on her stomach, took the opportunity to roll onto her back with some vague idea of sitting up and yanking again at the coil around her leg. But as she flipped over, she saw the snake's head rise up. It began to sway slightly, back and forth, and Hoshi felt her eyes drawn to its slitted pupils.

She couldn't look away. She could see the snake stretching toward her, its mouth opening around four long fangs. She wanted to run, to scream, but it was as if she had no power to do anything but watch what was about to happen. She couldn't even close her eyes.

A beam of energy came from behind her and struck the snake between its eyes. As its head disintegrated, Hoshi could finally move, and she jerked her leg free as she felt the pressure of the coil around her leg suddenly lessen.

She crawled a short distance from the headless carcass before her strength gave out, and she collapsed on the forest floor, shaking uncontrollably.

"See what you made me do?" F'linu's accusing voice came to her before she passed out.

* * *

Malcolm could hear the sounds of someone climbing the cliff face -- grunts, pebbles being dislodged and falling, the scrape of a boot on rock. He cautiously peered down and was relieved to see it was Kleth who was laboriously making his way up. 

"Is this the only way you could find to cross the stream?" Malcolm called out.

Without pausing from his task, the Klingon responded, "No, but it is the fastest."

As Kleth's hand came over the top, Malcolm grasped it and helped haul him up, careful that the much bigger man didn't accidentally pull him over.

"The others?" Malcolm asked.

"Slanea is taking care of Trip. And my mistress?"

"She's back that way," Malcolm said, jerking his head over his shoulder. "She's exhausted, Kleth. We've got to find a way to get her across--"

The unique sound of disruptor fire in the distance interrupted him. He looked at Kleth in alarm as he unslung the rifle from his shoulder. "I gave Hoshi my disruptor!" he said, just as the sound of another blast came to him.

Both men took off at a run along the top of the cliff. Malcolm's heart was beating fast, not from the exertion of running but in panic about what was happening to Hoshi. He hadn't left her alone for more than fifteen minutes and something had happened.

As he ran, Malcolm used F'linu's rifle to shove tree branches out of his way, and once more he heard a disruptor blast, closer this time. He could hear Kleth huffing along behind him. The Klingon could probably outrun him in a straight race, but the underbrush and dense tree growth were slowing the larger, less agile Kleth.

A few moments later, Malcolm burst into the small clearing where he had left Hoshi such a short time ago. She was nowhere to be seen, but the headless carcasses of two huge snake-like creatures were sprawled motionless on the ground.

"Hoshi!" he called out, spinning around in a circle, hoping to catch sight of her.

Kleth crashed into the open behind him and came to a skidding halt. Malcolm heard him growl as he spied the dead creatures.

"They must have attacked her," Malcolm said as Kleth took in the carnage.

"Perhaps," the Klingon said, looking closely at scuff marks on the ground and the disturbed fallen leaves. "But there was someone else here with her."

Malcolm began to look at the ground as well. "I was here with her for a while," he said, trying to quell a new surge of anxiety.

"Your feet are not that large," Kleth rumbled, pointing to a set of footprints in a muddy spot.

"F'linu!" Malcolm breathed, his eyes narrowing. "Bloody hell! I thought she could take care of herself! I should never have left her alone!"

Kleth drew a deep breath. "It may not have mattered. She was grabbed by one of the snake things."

"What!"

"See," the Klingon said, indicating a long swath on the ground near an uprooted bush. "The bigger one was dragging her. The Lanari may have saved her."

"But where did they go?" Malcolm asked in frustration as he glanced around. "They can't be too far away. It only took us a few minutes to get here."

Kleth joined him in casting about the perimeter of the clearing, looking for any sign of the direction F'linu and Hoshi had gone.

An unexpected voice startled them. "They didn't come this way."

Malcolm and Kleth whirled to find P'kora standing at the edge of the clearing. The Lanari policeman didn't look too much the worse for wear. Sweat was running in trickles down his face, and the top of his shirt was unbuttoned and his sleeves were pushed up.

"F'linu doubled back," P'kora said.

"We know," Malcolm said harshly. "He's got Hoshi again."

"He did not pass me."

"We just came from upstream along the cliff," Malcolm said. "They didn't go that way, either."

"That leaves downstream," the Lanari said, taking a step in that direction.

Kleth had walked over to the cliff's edge. "Perhaps not," he said as he looked down.

The other two rushed to join him. What Malcolm saw almost caused his heart to stop.

F'linu was halfway down the cliff face, Hoshi slung over his shoulder as he sidled down a narrow, sloping ledge.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

"Hoshi!" Malcolm whispered in shock, more scared than he had ever been in his entire life. His undercover assignments in Starfleet, his time spent among Klingon renegades, even Hoshi informing him he was going to be a father -- they were nothing compared to this.

Malcolm watched in dazed disbelief as F'linu, Hoshi slung over his shoulder, edged down the cliff below them. She had to be unconscious. That's the only reason Malcolm could think of for F'linu's easy handling of her during the dangerous descent. She was balanced on his shoulder, one of his hands holding her steady, the other pressed against the rocky cliff as he took one careful step after another.

Malcolm didn't know what was worse -- worrying why Hoshi was unconscious, or what would happen if F'linu lost his balance and dropped Hoshi. There was nothing to stop a fall but the rushing stream some ten meters below.

The horrendous thought that perhaps Hoshi wasn't struggling was because she was dead crossed his mind. No. He refused to believe that. There was no reason for F'linu to be taking her with him if she was dead.

F'linu had to know they were watching him. He had to have heard them up on the top of the cliff as they tried to figure out where he and Hoshi had gone.

Now they knew, and Malcolm was damned if he knew what they were going to do about it.

Next to him he heard Kleth snarl, and the big Klingon began to climb down the cliff face after F'linu.

"Find another way down!" he said. "I will follow this way."

Malcolm tore his gaze away from the unnerving scene to find P'kora already trotting away along the cliff edge. "This way!" the Lanari called. "I know a place."

Forcing his growing tiredness aside yet again, Malcolm followed P'kora, although his almost irresistible inclination was to follow Kleth, taking a direct route to Hoshi, not letting her out of his sight.

In desperation, he fumbled in his pocket for his communicator. Opening it as he ran along behind P'kora, he tried to contact the Morning Star but couldn't get through the static. The storm had passed but the interference it had generated hadn't cleared yet.

Changing the frequency, he was gratified when Slanea responded almost immediately, although the transmission was heavily laced with static pulses.

"Captain?" he heard her ask.

"Slanea. Get down to the stream," he told her. "F'linu's got Hoshi and he's going to try to cross to your side."

"Understood," came her answer and she cut the connection on her end.

As he put the communicator back in his pocket, Malcolm fleetingly wondered how Trip was doing. He felt a twinge of guilt that, even though his friend had been injured, he hadn't given much thought to him because of his single-minded focus on Hoshi. There wasn't much he could do about it now. As soon as Hoshi was safe and sound, he vowed, he'd make sure Trip was all right.

P'kora had set a quick pace along the top of the cliff, but now he was angling away into the forest.

"Where are you going?" Malcolm called to him. "That will will take us away from the stream."

"I know," P'kora shouted back. "But there is a gully that leads to the stream we can use."

Sure enough, within a few moments they came to a steep gully, its sides crumbly and collapsing. P'kora immediately started down into it, Malcolm close behind. At the bottom, they turned in the direction of the stream.

The going wasn't easy. The floor of the gully was muddy and slick, trickles of water running down into it from above. But it was sloping toward the stream, and Malcolm hoped it emptied out at stream level, not some height above it as a waterfall.

Still some distance from the stream, they rounded a bend to find a drop of about two meters. P'kora jumped and landed on his feet. Malcolm hitched the rifle up higher on his shoulder and followed suit, staggering as he hit the ground. Now he could hear the rushing water of the stream ahead, and his pulse quickened in time to it.

F'linu must have made it to the bottom of the cliff by now, Malcolm thought. Would he strike out across the stream or would he try to follow it along the base of the cliff? He hoped it was the latter -- he couldn't wait to get his hands on the bastard. P'kora might not have to worry about taking F'linu into custody once he got done with him, Malcolm thought grimly.

They came to where the gully opened onto the stream. Malcolm peered upstream. He couldn't see much of the cliff face from his position, and he waded out a few meters to take a better look, the water up to his thighs. What he saw made him immediately begin slogging upstream against the still-powerful current.

F'linu had reached the bottom of the cliff and had turned in his direction. The reason was plain to see -- Kleth was about half-way down the cliff, and Slanea was poised to intercept him if he struck out for the opposite bank.

Dividing his attention between the scenario in front of him and the treacherous footing in the streambed, Malcolm continued his struggle against the rushing torrent, P'kora right behind him.

Malcolm was aware that the water had receded from its previous high level, but it was still dangerous. If F'linu dropped Hoshi, she would be carried away and could drown. The moment the thought came to Malcolm, he saw F'linu look in his direction, and it was if the Lanari had read his mind. Even from this distance, Malcolm could see the vicious grin that split the man's face as he shifted Hoshi from over his shoulder and into his arms.

Taking a few quick, staggering steps, F'linu waded to mid-stream and flung Hoshi into the water.

"No!" Malcolm screamed.

Time distorted as Malcolm saw the splash made by Hoshi's body as it hit the water, saw her submerge and then bob back to the surface, her dark hair plastered to her head as she floated rapidly along on her back. He waded frantically toward the middle of the stream, hoping to intercept her before the current carried her past him.

He was dimly aware of shouting from upstream. He didn't dare take his eyes from the limp form of Hoshi's body, but his mind registered the shouts as Klingon.

He wasn't going to make it. The water was up to his waist now, and the current was carrying her along too fast just out of his reach. With a desperate lunge using the last reserves of his strength, he hurled himself at Hoshi, and snagged two of his fingers on the collar of her shirt.

He felt himself being pulled under as he tried to keep Hoshi from being ripped from his grasp. He swallowed a mouthful of water and rose back to the surface, coughing and spitting, but he maintained his hold on her, only to lose it when a floating tree branch slammed into his back.

Momentarily stunned by the impact, he watched in stupified disbelief as Hoshi was swept farther away from him. Then his view of Hoshi was blocked by P'kora, who had waded out after him. The Lanari policeman managed to remain upright, standing in the stream, and plucked Hoshi out of the water as one might a toy boat in a calm pond.

Malcolm struggled to regain his footing, no easy feat against the rushing water. P'kora was carrying Hoshi to the opposite bank where there was a sandbar, and Malcolm staggered in that direction. He collapsed on the gravelly surface moments after P'kora laid down his burden.

"Hoshi," he gasped between coughs, crawling toward Hoshi's unmoving form.

"She's alive," P'kora said, rolling her onto her side and sticking his fingers down her throat. Immediately Hoshi gagged and spewed up stream water, and Malcolm had the innane thought that she wasn't going to be pleased about throwing up again.

He was close enough that he heard her strained whisper. "Malcolm?"

"I'm here, Hoshi," he reassured her, reaching out to caress her head.

"Malcolm," she said again, a note of panic in her faint voice. "I don't feel right. Something's wrong with the baby."

New fear sliced through him at her statement, and when she lost consciousness again, he glanced in anguish at P'kora.

"We must get her to medical help," the Lanari policeman stated. "But first we must get her out of the forest."

Malcolm nodded curtly, already getting to his feet despite his exhaustion. P'kora took one look at him and bent over to hoist Hoshi into his arms. Although he desperately wanted to hold her, Malcolm knew he didn't have the strength to carry her.

Malcolm had lost his communicator as well as the rifle. He turned to see how the Klingons were faring, and was startled to see F'linu's body floating downstream. Quickly shifting his gaze upstream, he saw Kleth wading out of the water on the bank where Slanea was waiting for him.

"Come on," he told P'kora as he began making his way unsteadily toward the Klingons.

* * *

It was an indication of Malcolm's state of mind that he allowed Kleth to support him as they made their way to the Klingons' improvised shelter. He was so focused on Hoshi, worried beyond belief about her, that he was only vaguely aware of everything else around him. 

Slanea ran ahead to check on Trip as the rest of the group trudged along. P'kora, carrying Hoshi in his arms as if she were a child, led the way after her.

They arrived to find Slanea crouched next to Trip, staring at him worriedly. She raised her gaze to them as P'kora deposited Hoshi gently next to the unconscious engineer.

"What's wrong with Trip?" Malcolm croaked out as he crawled into the now very cramped lean-to.

"He has a fever," Slanea said, earning a grunt of surprise from Kleth. Addressing him, she added, "I noticed it just after you left."

Trying to find a comfortable position in which to sit and failing, Malcolm settled for kneeling next to Hoshi. Brushing her wet hair away from her face, he said, "We've got to get them back up to the Morning Star. We don't have a doctor, but we can get back to Estab in less than six hours if we push the engine."

Kleth immediately took out his communicator and tried raising the ship but to no avail.

Trip began to murmur and thrash around, trying to move his injured arm. Slanea moved to his side to hold him down so that he couldn't hurt himself any further. "He is delirious," she said.

"If you cannot contact your ship, we must begin the journey back as soon as possible," P'kora said. "Carrying the injured, even if we make stretchers, will take us some time to reach my vehicle, if it is still there."

Malcolm distractedly ran a hand through his wet hair. In the time it took them to get out of the forest, Hoshi and Trip's conditions could worsen, perhaps to the point of death.

"Try contacting the Morning Star again," he said to Kleth.

Kleth did as Malcolm requested, but the result was the same. There was too much static for a transmission to get through.

"The signal is not strong enough," Kleth said to the others. "The communicator doesn't have enough power."

Slanea had removed a communicator from her pocket at the same time as Kleth was trying to get through on his, but she wasn't activating it. Instead, she was prying off the back cover. She studied the components inside, then reached for the disruptor at her hip.

"What are you doing?" Malcolm asked.

"There may be a way to boost the signal," she said absently as she concentrated on the devices in her hands.

Taking off the casing from the disruptor's power housing, she poked a long fingernail into its circuitry. "This will take a few minutes," she said. "I have to make sure the transfer of power from the disruptor will not burn out the communicator's circuits."

Malcolm shot a glance at Kleth, who was watching Slanea in bemused interest. Despite his own weariness, Malcolm detected a hint of pride in Kleth's expression. P'kora, he noticed, was also looking on with interest.

Malcolm forced himself to his feet. He took a long look at Hoshi lying motionless on the ground, and motioned Kleth to accompany him outside. They walked a few paces away from the shelter, leaving Slanea to her work.

"I saw F'linu's body," Malcolm said quietly as he looked up at the Klingon's face.

There was no change in Kleth's expression, but a deep rumble emanated from his chest. "He fought me," Kleth said simply.

"I should have been the one to fight him," Malcolm said angrily.

"Yes," the Klingon replied easily. "But you had to save your mate first. The son of a targ would have gotten away had we waited for you to act against him. My honor, and yours, would not allow his escape."

"You're sure he's dead?" he asked Kleth.

"Positive."

Malcolm gritted his teeth. He wondered how things would go for P'kora if F'linu's body wasn't found. He wouldn't have any evidence to back up his report that the rebel leader was dead, except for his word and the word of several off-worlders. Somehow Malcolm didn't think that would go over very convincingly with the Lanari government.

Malcolm was startled out of his musings by Kleth clamping a big hand on his shoulder. "I acted in your stead, Ma'Com," he said. "You have had your vengeance."

Malcolm looked away. "It won't mean a thing if Hoshi or Trip dies," he said.


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

Slanea's attempt to boost the communicator's power worked, and Orwell was on his way down to pick them up. Kleth and P'kora, and to a lesser extent Malcolm, were laboring quickly to clear a large area near the shelter so the Morning Star's shuttle could land.

After a brief discussion with his first officer, Malcolm decided that using the transporter wasn't an option. They had gotten a communicator transmission through, but no one knew what effect the residual energy from the storm would have on a transporter signal.

Malcolm was too shaken by how much he had almost lost in the last two days to try it, and could still lose if he wasn't careful, in any case.

The shuttle had been ready for launch when Malcolm had talked to Orwell. Somehow Malcolm wasn't surprised. He'd never again complain about his first officer's over-enthusiastic adherence to following procedure, a leftover from Orwell's time in Starfleet. Under service protocol, when a landing party was out of contact for more than two hours, the ranking officer on board was to prepare for a potential rescue mission. The only reason Orwell hadn't sent the shuttle down before Malcolm contacted him was that he didn't know where to start looking for them.

Kleth was felling trees with precision blasts from his disruptor while Malcolm and P'kora trimmed the trunks into managable pieces to haul away. Malcolm had just holstered his gun and was about to drag some of the logs out of the way when Slanea emerged from the shelter.

"Captain!" she called out as she approached him. "I will do this. You go sit with the others."

Malcolm started to protest, but she cut him off by saying, "Trip is awake and coherent. You should talk to him."

He nodded gratefully at the information and handed his disruptor to her. She had depleted the power charge on her own weapon when she had jury-rigged the communicator. Glancing back over his shoulder as he strode toward the shelter, he saw Slanea lift two huge chunks of wood with no difficulty and hurl them to the edge of the new clearing.

He was glad she had given him the out of talking to Trip. A break would do him good. He was beyond tired, but his pride was getting in the way of allowing him to admit it. He didn't want to show any weakness, especially in front of that Klingon Amazon of a woman who was tossing heavy logs around as if she did it every day.

Besides, he didn't think it was safe for him to slow down too much, at least until they were out of here and both Hoshi and Trip were safe. If he stopped to rest, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to get going again.

He ducked to enter the shelter and was pleasantly surprised to see Trip sitting up, poking at the fire with a stick he held in his good hand.

"Back among the living, I see," Malcolm said with a smile.

"Yeah," replied the engineer, but a frown crossed his face. "What's the matter with Hoshi? She won't wake up."

Malcolm moved to squat next to Hoshi's prone form. "I don't know, Trip," he said. "I'm hoping it's just exhaustion, but..."

As his voice died away, Trip glanced at him in concern. "Do you think it's something to do with the baby?" he asked hesitantly.

"I really don't know," Malcolm said, his head hanging.

"Hey," Trip said softly. "We'll get out of here. The shuttle's on the way, and we'll get her back to Estab. They'll know what to do for her at one of the clinics. She'll be OK."

"That's what I keep telling myself. I have to believe she and the baby are going to pull through this all right." Malcolm gave him a small smile. "What about you? Just a while ago you were unconscious and running a fever."

"That's what Slanea told me. I don't remember any of it. Slanea said she thinks my fever broke. But I do feel kinda puny."

"Being around Klingons can do that to a person," Malcolm remarked dryly, giving up on squatting and opting to sit down next to Hoshi where he could listen to her breathing.

"Slanea told me about boostin' the communicator's signal," Trip said. "I think you got a good engineer on your hands."

"Coming from you, that's high praise."

"It's true," Trip insisted. "She may be a bit prickly until you get used to her, but she knows what she's doin'."

Their conversation dwindled, and Malcolm's attention returned to Hoshi. Please, let her and the baby be OK, he prayed. If she could hold out until they made it home, everything would have to be OK. He wouldn't accept any other outcome.

He reached out and took one of Hoshi's hands in his. A moment later, he heard the sound of the shuttle's engine as it approached the clearing.

* * *

Malcolm sat by Hoshi's side on the flight up to the Morning Star. Communications improved the closer they got to the ship, and he ordered Johnson, the helmsman, to be ready to leave orbit and head for Estab as soon as the shuttle was pulled into the landing bay. 

Several members of his crew were there to meet them when the shuttle's hatch popped open. In dull surprise Malcolm noted they had a stretcher, and the crew member with the most medical training, Rochelle Stevens, was standing by.

He hadn't thought about any of those details, concerned only with getting Hoshi to Estab as quickly as possible. But he knew who was responsible for the well-organized reception, and once more he was grateful for Orwell's attention to details.

"Do you want us to take her to the med bay?" asked Stevens.

Malcolm shook his head. The med bay was little more than a first-aid station, with only one bed.

"No," he said. "Take her to my quarters. She'll be more comfortable there."

"Aye, sir."

Malcolm watched as Kleth carried Hoshi out of the shuttle and placed her on the stretcher. Two of the brawnier crewmen picked it up, and he was struck by how small and fragile she looked lying there. He heard Stevens issuing instructions as they lifted the stretcher to carry Hoshi out of the landing bay.

"First thing when we get to the captain's cabin, we've got to get those wet clothes off her. Punjab, you take Mr. Tucker to the med bay and put a proper splint on that arm. And you, sir," she said, turning to face Malcolm, "you need to get into some dry clothing. Get something hot to drink, too."

Malcolm mumbled an acknowledgement as he fell in behind the stretcher bearers. Punjab was trying to lead Trip out of the landing bay despite the engineer's protests that he was needed in engineering.

Slanea and Kleth, who had been hanging back out of the way, exchanged a look. Slanea stepped forward.

"I can take care of engineering while your arm is fixed," she said to Trip. "Consider it a test of my abilities," she added with a fearsome smile.

When Trip opened his mouth to protest, a growl from Kleth stopped him.

Trip acquiesced with a shrug that made him wince as his injured arm moved. "There's no arguin' with Klingons," he said, sighing as he allowed Punjab to lead him away. "But I'm coming down to engineering as soon as I can."

As the landing bay cleared out, Kleth told Slanea, "Go. They need your talents. Push the engine as hard as you can. Ma'Com wouldn't have it any other way."

She nodded and hurried to the door, but stopped to look back at him quizzically. "And you? Are you going back to the Falcon?"

"No," he said. "The Falcon is no match for this ship in speed. I will stay here until we reach Estab. Ma'Com may need my help."

At his answer, she gave him a quick smile before turning to rush to engineering.

* * *

The trip to Estab was a nightmare as far as Malcolm was concerned. 

Even though the ship's top speed was supposed to be warp 4.2, Slanea and the engineering staff managed to get it up to 4.5. He knew the engine was red-lined, but he didn't care. Any damage caused by overtaxing the engine was unimportant if it helped save Hoshi. As it was, it still wasn't fast enough to suit him.

The Falcon was following, but at a slower pace, unable to keep up with the Morning Star. Kleth had remained on board, looking over Orwell's shoulder on the bridge. Malcolm briefly wondered how the seemingly unflappable former-Starfleeter was dealing with the Klingon's dominating presence, but he didn't have the will to go see for himself.

Malcolm's entire focus had narrowed down to what was going on in his cabin, where he hovered in the background as Stevens ministered to Hoshi.

At Stevens' insistence, he had taken a hot shower and put on dry clothing. A crewman brought some coffee for him to drink. He sipped at it, having nothing to do but fret as Stevens checked Hoshi's pulse, lifted her eyelids to look at her pupils, and checked for injuries.

Finally, Stevens turned from the bed to address him where he was sitting nearby.

"I've done all I can, sir," she said quietly, frustration evident in her voice. "I'm really not sure what's wrong with her. It could be exhaustion, but we should be able to rouse her if that's all it is. I had Starfleet medical emergency response training for crisis situations...triage and so on...so I know about physical injuries, but... I'm sorry, sir, my area of expertise is in communications systems. I'm not a doctor."

"I understand," Malcolm replied as Stevens stood facing him, wringing her hands nervously. "I appreciate everything you've done. We're lucky to have someone like you with even limited medical training on board."

There was a long, awkward pause before Stevens spoke again. "Do you want me to stay, sir?"

Malcolm looked over at Hoshi, her face peaceful but pale where it lay on a pillow on their bed. "Do you think her condition will change before we reach Estab?"

"I really don't know, sir. And if she gets worse, I'm not sure there's anything I can do."

Malcolm digested this information. "All right. Why don't you go check on Mr. Tucker? I'll call you if I need you."

"Yes, sir."

Malcolm heard the door open and then close as she left, but his gaze was on Hoshi. He hoped they reached Estab in time, and that the medical personnel there would know what to do to help her.

It suddenly struck him as tragically ironic that, considering the businesses that he and Hoshi were operating, there was no doctor on board. Most freighters didn't have a doctor, and it hadn't crossed his mind when he was putting together a crew. He had been satisfied with having several crew members who had training for medical emergencies during their time in Starfleet.

Yet here he was, ready to start hauling medical supplies for Hoshi's clinics, and neither of them had thought of having a doctor on board. When this was over, he decided, he would add the position of doctor to the Morning Star's crew roster.

He'd considered seeking help for her on Lanari, but the medical facilities there were deplorable. That was why Hoshi had gone there in the first place, after all. P'kora's experience with his son and the medical system on his planet went a long way toward convincing Malcolm he was doing the right thing by going back to Estab.

What made the decision final was when, as the Lanari policeman was seeing off their shuttle, he had confided that it could take up to a day to even get a doctor to look at Hoshi. Add to that the fact that Lanari doctors had little experience with off-worlders, and the decision to return to Estab hadn't been difficult.

He would entrust Hoshi's well-being to the best medical care available. In this sector, that was Estab. It was another ironic twist of fate, Malcolm realized, that the Estabi medical facilities were so exceptional because of Hoshi's work there.

And then there was the baby. He was just getting used to the idea, and now there was the possibility that it wouldn't be born. Her words that something was wrong with the baby haunted him.

He'd be devastated if they lost the child, but that would be nothing compared to what Hoshi would experience. He knew her so well -- she'd blame herself for losing it.

She'd set up the clinics on Estab after seventeen Estabi were killed by her Klingon crew, contrary to her orders not to kill. In the aftermath of her crew's disobedience, she had taken full responsibility for those deaths. She still had moments of despair concerning that horrific occurrence, but the clinics were her way of atoning for what had happened, and the good work she was doing was helping her move past the tragedy.

He didn't know if she could find a way to deal with the loss of their child.

His thoughts coming back to Hoshi, he moved to sit on the bed next to her. He touched her cheek gently. What he wouldn't give if she would open her eyes and look at him. She was so vibrant, so full of life, and to see her like this hurt more than he could ever have imagined. If there was only something he could do besides sit and keep watch.

His own exhaustion battered at the edges of his dazed mind. He found himself not thinking about anything for minutes at a time, despite the coffee he had consumed earlier.

Slowly he eased himself off the bed and sat on the floor. He reached up and took her hand in his, and laid his head on the bed.

He really should check with Orwell, see how much longer it would be before they reached Estab. And Slanea. She might need help with the engine if Trip was still having his arm taken care of. But he couldn't leave Hoshi.

This wasn't how he had envisioned them sharing this bed. His cabin was supposed to have been their honeymoon suite. Instead, he was maintaining a vigil, hoping that time would speed up and they would get to Estab even more quickly, and yet wanting, if fate decreed her life was to ebb away, to suspend time indefinitely so that he could be with her forever.

He wasn't going to leave her side.


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

The clinic where Hoshi was being treated on Estab was a brilliant contrast to the last few days. Bright and cheery, sunlight streaming in through the windows, courteous personnel -- in Malcolm's perception, it was a microcosm of what the entire planet was like, and it served to emphasize that Hoshi had picked a wonderful place for their home.

If they were still going to be able to have one, he thought dejectedly.

As the Morning Star had approached the planet, Malcolm tore himself away from Hoshi's side long enough to contact the Rawala clinic director, Petrania. The Estabi's relief that Hoshi had been found was quickly overshadowed by horror at what had happened to her.

Malcolm main reason for contacting Petrania was to find out the name of Hoshi's doctor, but the clinic director took matters into her own hands. In no uncertain terms, Petrania told him to take good care of Hoshi until they arrived; she would arrange for Hoshi's care on Estab in the meantime.

Not more than two minutes after the Morning Star achieved orbit around Estab, Malcolm, with Hoshi in his arms, beamed directly into the clinic specializing in obstetrics. Taking Hoshi's pregnancy into account, Petrania had said this clinic was the best place for Hoshi to be treated.

Malcolm was greeted by a small army of medical personnel who gently took Hoshi from him, then politely but firmly ushered him to a waiting area. One doctor followed him to the waiting area to question him about what had happened to Hoshi.

"Did she eat while on Lanari?" the doctor asked.

"She did, but not much, I think," Malcolm replied, trying to recall what Hoshi had talked about while they were in the cave. "She did say she threw up once, but she thought it was from whatever substance they used to knock her out."

The doctor made some notations on a padd. "I was told she was kidnapped," he said.

"Yes, abducted from her hotel room."

"So there was that added stress as well."

"That's not the half of it," Malcolm stated grimly. "She escaped, running through the jungle during a storm."

As the doctor made more notations, Malcolm added, "She was attacked by some kind of snake-like creature which tried to drag her off, but I don't think it bit her."

"It was large?"

Malcolm nodded. "Huge."

"That explains the bruising on one of her legs," the doctor said. "It's consistent with being squeezed by something."

"And there's something else," Malcolm said, causing the doctor to look at him in mild disbelief. Malcolm knew the feeling -- it was almost unbelievable what Hoshi had been through in such a short time.

"She was thrown into a river and swallowed a large amount of water," he said. "But she threw that up almost as soon as we got her out. Ever since she passed out after that, we haven't been able to wake her."

The doctor raised one of his eyebrows as he made even more notes. When he finished, he looked at Malcolm. "It's incredible that she survived all that," he said.

Malcolm nodded, too distraught by the recitation of events to say anything more.

The doctor was watching him closely. "It is your child she is carrying?" the Estabi asked.

Once again Malcolm nodded, and the doctor reached over and clasped his shoulder.

"We will do our best to make sure that she -- and the baby -- pull through," the doctor told him. "After all she has done for the Estabi people, it is the very least we can do."

With a final squeeze to Malcolm's shoulder, the doctor turned to go back to where Hoshi was being treated. As the door swung open, Malcolm caught a glimpse of medical personnel working over Hoshi's unmoving body. Then the door closed and his view was cut off.

He paced a few times across the waiting area, which was unoccupied but for himself. He glanced at the comfortable-looking chairs but, despite his tiredness, he was too keyed up to sit down and be still. Instead, he walked over to the windows and looked out at the landscape but didn't really see it. He leaned his head against the pane and closed his eyes.

He was still standing by the window some time later when a medical staff member came through another door.

"Sir?" she said to get his attention as she took a few steps toward him.

He hoped she had news about Hoshi. His gaze flicked over to the door to Hoshi's room as he wondered why she hadn't come through that way.

"There are some people here to see you," she said.

He looked past her as the door through which she had entered opened again, and Trip and Kleth walked into the waiting area. The makeshift splint on Trip's arm had been replaced by a lightweight cast, and he had a small bandage over the cut on his forehead.

The medical staffer quietly slipped away as Malcolm's two friends gathered around him.

"Malcolm!" Trip said. "How's Hoshi?"

"They're still working on her," he replied.

"She is strong, Ma'Com," Kleth said. "If anyone could survive what happened, she can."

Trip crossed to one of the chairs and sat down with a heavy sigh. Malcolm realized guiltily that he hadn't once thought about his friend's injury since beaming down. After clasping Kleth's forearm, he went and sat by Trip.

"How are you doing?" he asked the engineer, whose features were lined with fatigue.

"OK," Trip said with a weary smile. "They reset my arm. It's nothing serious. Gave me some painkillers, too, so I'm really not feelin' it too much."

"What about the fever?" Malcolm asked, remembering how quickly Trip had recovered.

"Funny thing, that. The doctor wasn't really sure what caused it. Thought maybe I was having a reaction to something in the stream water that got into this," he said, pointing to where the cut on his head was covered by the bandage. "The doc said my immune system apparently fought off whatever it was, if that's what it was. ... Did that make any sense?"

The door to the emergency room suddenly opened and the same doctor who had talked to Malcolm earlier came out. Malcolm rose to meet him as he crossed the room.

"How's Hoshi?" he asked.

"The same," the doctor said, "but we have found the cause of her condition."

Malcolm looked at him hopefully.

"Whatever the drug was that was introduced into her system when she was knocked out is causing it," the doctor said. "We are not familiar with the compound, and are in the process of contacting medical authorities on Lanari for information about it."

At the physician's frustrated expression, Malcolm's hope dimmed, and the man's next words weren't encouraging. "They aren't being very cooperative."

"Can you do anything for her?"

"We are trying. Our lab is running an analysis of the drug. That should give us some information shortly. But I don't know if we will be able to counteract it. Right now all we are doing is giving her palliatives to ease the symptoms, and even that is limited to ones which won't harm the fetus."

Malcolm swallowed. "What exactly is Hoshi's condition?"

The doctor hesitated before answering. "The drug is affecting her immune system. A healthy human probably wouldn't have been affected by it. But in her case, pregnant and in a weakened state, the drug has made her immune system react to the fetus as foreign matter. It's trying to make her body reject the fetus."

Stunned silence followed this announcement.

"What about Hoshi?" Malcolm finally managed to ask. "Will she...?"

"I don't know," the doctor said, not unkindly. "She has a better chance than the fetus, but that's all it is -- a chance."

Malcolm turned away from the doctor as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard. He felt numb, and wondered if he was going into shock.

As if from a distance he heard the doctor say, "There's nothing you can do here, Captain Reed. Please, go home. Get some rest. We will contact you if there is any change."

Malcolm was aware of Kleth moving closer to him and Trip getting up to come stand by his side. Trip gently took his arm in his good hand to lead him out of the waiting area.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you home."

Home. It was the last place he wanted to be without Hoshi. But the doctor was right -- there was nothing he could do here.

He let his friends guide him down the hall to a transporter pad, another innovation Hoshi had insisted upon for her clinics. But when the beam engaged and took them away, his thoughts remained with the woman lying in the emergency room.

* * *

Malcolm staggered under the weight of overwhelming weariness as he stepped into the cottage. Only Kleth's strong hand on his arm kept him from falling. 

"Go. Rest," Kleth had ordered him, giving him a gentle push in the direction the bedroom.

When Malcolm started to protest, Trip cut him off. "We'll stay here. If there's any news about Hoshi, we'll let ya know right away. I promise."

Malcolm still couldn't be persuaded to lie down until Kleth advanced on him, saying, "You will do her no good making yourself sick, little warrior. You must gather your strength for any challenges in the coming days."

Malcolm shook his head in defeat. Kleth the philosopher strikes again, he thought with the faintest glimmer of amusment. "Aye, Captain," he murmured.

He entered the bedroom and shut the door behind him. He stood for a moment, wondering if he should take off his clothes. Then he decided it wasn't worth the effort, and stumbled over to the bed. He fell on it and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Kleth waited outside the door until he was sure Malcolm had fallen asleep before returning to sit at the table where Trip was already seated.

"We can take turns sleepin'," the engineer said with a wistful look at the couch. "If ya don't mind, I'd like to sleep first. The painkillers are makin' me groggy."

Kleth rumbled his acceptance of this plan. "I will be awake in case there are any developments. And there is a matter to which I must attend."

Trip raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"You heard the doctor at the clinic. The medical authorities on Lanari are not being cooperative," Kleth said. At Trip's nod, he continued, "I will try to contact P'kora. Perhaps he can do something to expedite that situation."

Trip nodded more vigorously. "Good idea. Ah only wish there was somethin' more we could be doin' for both Hoshi and Malcolm," he said, his accent more pronounced by his bone-deep tiredness. "Ah'll just park myself right over there on the couch."

Kleth waited until Trip had settled himself on the couch and shut his eyes before reaching for his communicator. Contacting the Morning Star, he had a brief discussion with Orwell, and was pleased when the man agreed to contact P'kora.

Shutting the communicator, Kleth mused that Ma'Com had found a good first officer. Not as good as himself when he had been second-in-command under Hoshi's captaincy, of course, he thought without any false pride, but more than adequate. Orwell was another one whom Ma'Com could trust to guard his back. The man hadn't been rattled in the slightest by his presence on the bridge during the return trip to Estab, and had made it clear by his manner that he was in charge, not Kleth.

Kleth made his way to the kitchen, where he checked under a counter for the blood wine Hoshi kept for his visits. He found the flagon and, unstoppering it, was assaulted by its distinctive aroma. He poured a large mug and downed it in a series of long swallows. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth in satisfaction, poured some more wine into the mug, and returned to the table.

He knew it could be a long wait, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. Now that the immediate crisis was past, he let his thoughts turn to Slanea. She had performed admirably in engineering, coaxing the Morning Star's engine to more than its maximum output with no damage to the systems. She was talented, that was certain.

Perhaps when everything was resolved, he could steal her away from Ma'Com and make her the chief engineer aboard the Falcon. His ship was still short-handed and he had need of a good engineer. It would be easier for Ma'Com to find a replacement for her than it would be for Kleth to find an engineer to his liking, at least in this sector of space.

Besides, he wanted to see the look on Ma'Com's face when he informed him that Slanea was transferring. It's not like Ma'Com would be losing her, he thought with a sly smile. She would just be on a different ship in their partnership.

Taking another sip of the wine, Kleth turned his mind to how he could convince Slanea to agree to his proposal.

* * *

One day passed into another, and another, and there was no change in Hoshi's condition. Malcolm became more despondent with each passing hour. 

Adding to his depression, Orwell had informed him that he had reached P'kora at home, but only after being told by the Lanari authorities that he was no longer on the police force. P'kora's participation in Hoshi's rescue had resulted in the loss of his job. Not only would he not be able to help find information about the substance affecting Hoshi, but now Malcolm felt in part responsible for P'kora's situation as well.

Trip and Slanea continued to tinker with the Morning Star's engine as well as tweak subsystems throughout the ship. Malcolm knew it was make-do work, that they were passing the time as they waited for some instructions from him, but his focus was entirely on Hoshi and he left them to their own devices.

Kleth stayed with him even though he could have returned to the Falcon. Malcolm was certain his Klingon friend should have been traveling his trade route, delivering cargo somewhere, but Kleth didn't bring it up and Malcolm didn't ask. He was too grateful for the companion who remained steadfastly with him, not speaking often but offering unspoken support with his presence.

In addition to his quiet companionship, Kleth also served as a buffer between Malcolm and outside concerns. Not that Kleth had to do much, Malcolm reflected dully one time after seeing a med staffer enter the waiting area and then scurry away without talking to the imposing Klingon. The only people Kleth allowed to approach Malcolm were those connected with Hoshi's care, and Trip, who beamed down for an hour or so each evening.

Malcolm's world narrowed to two vistas. During his waking hours, he was at Hoshi's bedside or in the clinic waiting area. Late in the evening, he'd force himself to go home to the cottage, eat a few bites of something, and fall into bed. He'd snatch a few hours restless sleep, acutely aware of the empty space in the bed next to him, and be up before dawn, dressed and ready to go back to the clinic before Kleth awoke on the couch.

One time when Malcolm had to leave Hoshi's room to get out of the way of the technicians running yet more tests, he found himself sitting in the waiting area, the ever-present Kleth seated stoicly next to him.

"How much longer can this go on?" Malcolm murmured as he ran a hand over his face. "Something's got to change soon, doesn't it?"

Kleth grunted. "As long as she is alive, there is hope," he said. "Is that not a human saying?"

Malcolm gave him a small smile. "Close enough."

They lapsed into silence. Malcolm could hear the faint sounds of the monitoring equipment coming from Hoshi's room as the medical personnel went about their duties. Despite Kleth's words of encouragement, he could feel his hope slipping away. But he refused to think further than the present, afraid he would see a future without Hoshi.

A year ago, if someone had told him he would meet a woman he'd want to spend the rest of his life with, he would have said they were crazy. He didn't have a good track record with long-term relationships, and he'd had no reason to believe that would ever change.

He had been satisfied doing his work with Starfleet, first as a security officer and then as an investigator. It wasn't a career that was conducive to any kind of personal relationships, but that hadn't bothered him. He hadn't felt a need for other people in his life.

Until he met Hoshi. He'd fallen head over heels in love with her, something he believed he was incapable of. Her unique situation had prevented her from returning to Earth, and after some soul-searching, he'd quit Starfleet to be with her.

He hadn't regretted it once.

Now he was in a shipping partnership with a Klingon renegade. It still amused him that he was in business with someone who had been on the opposite side of one of his investigations when they'd met. Having come to know Kleth, he was glad to be able to call him his friend.

And then there was this whole fatherhood thing. It was a different type of agony, sitting here, waiting to find out if his child was going to live. He hadn't known it was possible to care so much about someone who hadn't been born yet.

It was in this state of mixed awe and despair that Malcolm heard the door to the waiting area being pushed open. He looked up to see Trip and Slanea, both slightly out of breath as if they had been hurrying.

"You're a little early today," Malcolm noted. "Run out of things to do on the Morning Star?"

Trip had a peculiar look on his face. "No. They called me to come down here. Didn't you know?"

"Know what?"

"That fever I had," Trip said. "I got over it so quickly, they think maybe I developed some kind of antibodies that got rid of it."

Malcolm still didn't understand, and he stared at Trip, waiting for the man to go on.

"They didn't tell ya?" the engineer asked at the blank look on Malcolm's face. "They think maybe that if I have antibodies from whatever happened to me on Lanari, they can use them to help Hoshi."

The door to Hoshi's room opened and the lead doctor for Hoshi's care came out.

"Doctor," Malcolm said, "can you explain what's going on to me?"

"As soon as I have the blood work started on Mr. Tucker, I will be more than happy to tell you, Captain Reed," the doctor answered. "It will take a few moments. Please, wait here."

Malcolm had waited several days already, and his patience was nearly at an end. Now he was being asked to wait again. But this time, he had a tiny flicker of hope to hold onto.


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23

Malcolm didn't understand most of what the doctor told him. He never did have much of a grasp of med-tech mumbo-jumbo. What he did know was that, for the first time in days, there was hope that something could be done for Hoshi and the baby.

The medical personnel were studying Trip's blood samples, finding something useful in the antibodies he had developed against whatever was in the water on Lanari that had gotten into his blood through the cut on his forehead.

The same substance was in the chemical used to drug Hoshi as well as the water she had swallowed. The doctors had determined that was the cause of her condition. Her weakened state combined with her pregnancy hadn't allowed her body to develop its own antibodies, and the doctors were trying to synthesize enough of Trip's antibodies to use on her.

It was a slow process, however. Malcolm clung to his new hope, trying not to let it be chipped away as the hours wore on.

Trip had returned to the waiting area after his blood samples were drawn. "Feel like a damn pin cushion," he remarked, trying but failing to rub where the blood extractor had punctured his good arm. He couldn't move his arm in the cast far enough to reach the exact spot.

"Let me," Slanea said, moving to massage his arm.

Slanea had remained with Kleth and Malcolm while Trip was being poked and prodded. She hadn't talked much, remaining in the background as the doctor returned to explain in more detail what they were trying to do.

Malcolm, in a better frame of mind now that something was actually being done to help Hoshi, was able to pick up on the nuances of the three-way relationship between the two Klingons and Trip. He was surprised to see that Slanea's doting on Trip didn't ruffle Kleth.

"Thanks, Slanea," Trip said with a sigh as she rubbed his arm. "That feels better."

Slanea finished her ministrations and moved back to sit by Kleth. Malcolm was watching them curiously when he heard a low purring rumble from Slanea. She bared her teeth slightly at Kleth, and he saw the big Klingon give her an answering snarl.

"Hey, you two!" Trip suddenly said. "Knock it off. This is a hospital, for pete's sake."

At Malcolm's questioning look, Trip explained, "That's what they do right before they start makin' out."

Malcolm kept his jaw from dropping but his eyebrows shot up to his hairline. So that was the way Kleth's relationship with Slanea was going. He wondered how it had come about and what Trip thought about it. Slanea still seemed to be paying an inordinate amount of attention to the engineer. No, surely they all weren't...

He was trying to think of a way to tactfully bring up the subject when the door to Hoshi's room opened and the doctor stepped out.

Malcolm stood to meet the man, searching his face to see if it was good or bad news that he had for them. As the doctor began talking, he found it was both.

"The antibodies seem to be the key to driving the foreign substance out of her body," the doctor started. "But they are not working very efficiently."

Malcolm could sense the concern of the others behind him in their hushed attention. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"The antibodies supplied by Mr. Tucker are working, but not well," the doctor said. "Right now they are taking the place of the other stop-gap treatments we were using. Her condition isn't getting any worse, but it's not getting any better, either. This could go on indefinitely."

"Isn't there anything that can be done?" Malcolm asked.

The doctor paused, looking at the trio standing behind Malcolm. "There is one thing, but we'll need your help," he said after a moment.

"Anything! What do ya need?" Trip asked before Malcolm could speak.

"It would help if we had samples of Lanari blood. Then we could see how a native species from the environment where this substance comes from deals with it."

"P'kora," Malcolm said softly, turning to look at Kleth.

The big Klingon nodded immediately in understanding. "We will go to Lanari and get him."

"We'll take the Mornin' Star," Trip put in. "It's faster than the Falcon."

"Mr. Tucker," the doctor interjected. "Please, it would be best if you remained here. We may have more need of you for blood and tissue samples."

Trip's face fell but the engineer didn't argue.

"Contact Orwell," Malcolm told Trip. "Tell him what's going on, and that Kleth and Slanea will be beaming aboard."

"Who's gonna be in command?" Trip asked Malcolm uneasily as he glanced at the big Klingon, knowing Orwell's distrust of their friend.

Kleth answered for Malcolm. "Orwell will be in charge of the ship, but I will take care of getting P'kora to come."

With a sharp gesture to Slanea, Kleth strode to the door, not looking to see if she followed.

"Do not worry, Captain," she said to Malcolm. "We will bring him back."

"Alive, hopefully," Trip said with a trace of his usual humor.

Slanea gave him a glare. "Always with the teasing," she said before hurrying to catch up with Kleth.

As the door swished shut behind the Klingons, Malcolm said to the doctor, "I'd like to see Hoshi now."

The doctor nodded, ushering him to her room. Trip, left alone in the middle of the waiting area, sighed and went to find a comm unit he could use to contact Orwell.

* * *

"They've gone to get P'kora," Malcolm said. 

He was sitting in a chair next to Hoshi's bed. There was no one in the room at the moment but Malcolm, Hoshi, and all the monitoring equipment.

Each day as he sat with her, he'd talk. Sometimes he would tell her about what was going on, sometimes he would reminisce about the experiences they'd shared, and sometimes he'd give voice to his hopes for their future.

"The doctor says Trip's antibodies are the best hope right now for helping you," he said to her as he gently stroked the hair above her forehead. "But it's not enough, so Kleth and Slanea are going to get P'kora. You've got to hang on until they figure out how to fight this and make you better. I don't know what I'll do if you..."

Malcolm's voice cracked brokenly as he stopped speaking. He didn't want his worry spilling over into these talks. He'd once heard that an unconscious person was aware, on some level, of what was going on around them, and his intention was to use his voice as a lifeline, not a harbinger of doom. He had to keep what he said to her hopeful and give her a reason to fight for her life.

"I'm finally getting used to the idea of being a father," he said to her. "You know, we have to come up with a name for the baby. We haven't discussed that yet. And do you want to find out ahead of time if it's a boy or a girl?"

Malcolm paused, picturing a little girl with long, raven locks like Hoshi's, but with his blue-grey irises set in almond-shaped eyes. Then he changed the image to a boy, and immediately conjured up a miniature version of himself with short, dark hair but with brown eyes.

They'd have to add a nursery on board the Morning Star, he realized. Most of the cargo runs he anticipated wouldn't be long ones, but he couldn't stand the thought of being away from Hoshi and their child for any length of time.

He began telling her how they could connect the cabin next to his quarters on the ship so they could have their child with them as they traveled between the stars.

* * *

Orwell and Kleth did an outstanding job picking up P'kora, probably setting a new speed record getting to Lanari and back. Malcolm was waiting at the transporter pad in the clinic for P'kora when he beamed down. He was surprised to see the Lanari's family had accompanied him. 

"I will not be reinstated on the police force even though F'linu's body has been found," P'kora told Malcolm. "We have nothing to hold us on Lanari. We will see what happens here, together, as a family. Perhaps there are job opportunities here for me."

As P'kora was led away by a technician who would take his blood samples, Malcolm was momentarily confused. What was he to do with P'kora's family? But another medical staff member stepped forward to escort the Lanari's spouse and three children to living quarters adjacent to the clinic.

As he turned to go back to the waiting area, Malcolm was again struck by Hoshi's attention to detail when establishing her clinics. Quarters for family members of patients was not something he would have thought of.

The day dragged on as the technicians worked with P'kora's blood samples. By dinnertime, Malcolm was getting restless. Kleth, who had been with him the entire time after beaming down shortly after P'kora, urged him to return home and get something to eat.

Malcolm wasn't expecting the two people who were waiting for him and Kleth at the cottage.

"Trip! What are you doing?" Malcolm asked in surprise as he walked into his house to see the engineer, his arm in a sling, standing in the kitchen doorway.

"We were gettin' bored," Trip replied. He stepped aside to let Slanea carry a dish to the dining table. "I decided to broaden Slanea's education in the area of human food."

"Slanea?" Malcolm asked dubiously, taking in the apron and oven mitts she was wearing.

"Do not worry, Captain," she said with a fierce smile. "Trip has directed me. I have followed all his instructions. I do not think it will poison you."

Malcolm could smell a spicy aroma as she placed the platter on the table, and his stomach growled.

"Barbecued ribs," Trip told him proudly. "With my Uncle Sylvester's sauce."

"Where did you get all this food?" Malcolm asked as he sat down. He put a napkin on his lap and stared at the ribs, steaming corn on the cob, potato salad, and a big bowl of sliced watermelon. He hadn't realized he was hungry until the sight and smell of the feast had confronted him. It didn't matter that it was American Southern cuisine, of which he wasn't particularly fond. It was the first time in days that he had an appetite.

"We liberated it from on board the Mornin' Star," Trip replied. "Nobody up there knows how to do it justice anyway."

"What do you mean?" Malcolm asked, waiting for the others to seat themselves.

Slanea, however, had returned to the kitchen and was doing something. He heard her banging cabinet doors and muttering in Klingon.

"Well, it's not like we have a full-time cook on the Mornin' Star," Trip said. "You've got members of the crew rotatin' into that position, and not one of them cooks the way I like."

Slanea came back from the kitchen carrying a covered dish. She placed it next to Kleth before taking her seat. "That is for you," she said to Kleth, a gleam in her eye.

Kleth had been eyeing the human food with a distrustful gaze, Malcolm had noticed, and this new dish next to him was met with equal disdain. That is, until he took the lid off and a writhing mass of gagh was revealed.

"I procured that from the Falcon," Slanea told Kleth proudly from her seat next to him. "Perhaps you will share with me?"

Kleth tossed her an appreciative growl and dug into the gagh, but not before tipping a generous helping onto Slanea's plate.

Averting his gaze, Trip said, "You'll pardon me if I pass on that."

Malcolm waited until everyone else had served themselves before taking some ribs and potato salad for himself. As he cut the meat from one of the ribs, he was aware of Slanea watching him closely. He took a bite, chewed, and nodded his head in approval. "Very good," he murmured.

Slanea graced him with a wide smile and turned her attention to her own plate. She had taken only one bite of gagh, however, when she glanced at Trip and hurriedly put her fork down. Leaning over, she picked up his knife and fork and began cutting the meat off the ribs on his plate.

"Hey!" Trip protested. "You don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do," she insisted as she sawed away with little finesse but lots of elbow grease. "You cannot cut it with one arm in a sling."

"But barbecued ribs are supposed to be eaten with your fingers," he said indignantly.

She gave him a glare as she handed the fork back to him. "And you humans say Klingons have no table manners!"

Trip sighed and looked at Malcolm. "Wait 'til she sees what I do with the watermelon seeds."

Smiling, Malcolm said, "I think I'll have to ask you to take that outside if you're going to spit."

"Spit!" Slanea said in astonishment. "Humans actually spit out some of their food? On purpose?"

Malcolm grinned as the two engineers began to bicker good-naturedly. He hadn't felt this relaxed since he'd brought the Morning Star home the first time. It was good to have friends to be with in times like these.

He wondered how things were going at the clinic, but roughly pushed that thought aside. They would call if they had any news, either good or bad. The least he could do was enjoy this meal his friends had arranged for him, helping to take his mind off matters, if only for an hour or so.

He looked up from his plate to see Kleth taking a long swallow from his mug of blood wine. As the Klingon put down the mug, he caught Malcolm's glance as Trip and Slanea continued to trade verbal barbs.

"I stay out of their arguments," Kleth said in a confidential tone to Malcolm. "It is their way of showing each other affection."

At Malcolm's upraised eyebrows, the large Klingon added darkly, "As long as that is all it is."

Malcolm grabbed his glass of beer and raised it in a salute to Kleth before taking a swallow.

Slanea and Trip continued to pick on each other during the meal, first arguing about food and how to eat it, then moving on to engineering topics. By the time Trip was ready for watermelon, Slanea had expressed an interest in watching him spit seeds, and followed him out onto the front porch.

"They're just like children," Malcolm remarked to Kleth as the pair left the cottage. "They fight like brother and sister."

A look of sudden comprehension crossed Kleth's stern visage. "Yes, that is it! I could not define how they act toward each other. It is more than a working relationship, but they are definitely not mates. Brother and sister is an apt description," he said in satisfaction.

Malcolm peeked out between the curtains to see Trip demonstrating the finer points of spitting seeds, with Slanea studiously following his instructions as she emulated him. "Kleth, come here!" he said, waving the big Klingon over. "You've got to see this."

Kleth ambled over to the window. "He's teaching her how to spit?" he asked in disbelief as he looked out.

"It is the sort of thing a brother would show a younger sister how to do," Malcolm said, adding dryly, "At least, in Trip's part of Earth."

"Only among humans," Kleth said, his voice a mixture of disgust and wonder as he shook his head. "Brother and sister, indeed. If Slanea and I are to be life mates, I must consider adopting Trip into our house on an honorary basis. As her brother, it would be appropriate, since he has no Klingon house of his own. I know he is human, but still...spitting?"

Malcolm laughed, the first real laugh he'd had in days. Just as he was drawing a deep, relaxing breath, the comm unit chirped. The anxiety he'd pushed away during the meal came rushing back as he crossed the room to reach the unit.

Thumbing the button to activate the system, he said, "Captain Reed here."

"I have good news for you," came the voice of Hoshi's primary doctor. "We have found a way to reverse her condition."

* * *

Once again Malcolm was pacing the waiting area at the clinic. As usual, Kleth was with him, and Malcolm expected Trip and Slanea at any moment. They had offered to stay behind long enough to clean up after dinner. 

"Why did they callme just to make me wait here?" Malcolm asked in frustration.

He didn't really expect an answer from Kleth, and he didn't get one.

The silence stretched on. Malcolm paced a few more times, his anxiety mounting with each step. He'd been enjoying himself at dinner, forgetting temporarily about Hoshi's circumstances. Now it all came back, along with a sense of guilt as punishment for distancing himself from her, if only for the time it took to have dinner.

"What's the holdup?" he wondered out loud. "The doctor told me to come back."

Kleth kept his own counsel, only his eyes moving as he watched Malcolm stalk back and forth. Humans said Klingons lacked patience, but that wasn't true. It only served to reinforce for Kleth that the stereotypes held by humans about Klingons, and vice versa, were often wrong.

Watching Ma'Com was like watching a caged targ, the pent-up energy bordering on a warp core breach. If worst came to worst, Kleth would offer himself as an outlet for his friend. One carefully worded sentence from him would be enough to set Malcolm off, releasing some of his frustration in an argument or, if Kleth was lucky, a physical fight.

Both men's musings were interrupted by the opening of the door to Hoshi's room. Malcolm immediately crossed the waiting area to meet the doctor who stood there.

"How is she?" Malcolm asked.

"Look for yourself, Captain Reed," the doctor said with a smile, holding the door open for him.

Several people were bustling about the room, checking monitors and other equipment, but Malcolm could see only Hoshi. She was pale against the bedding, but her eyes were open.

"Hoshi!" he cried, rushing to her side, slowing at the last instant to keep from jostling her too much as he took one of her hands in his.

A weak smile lit Hoshi's face. "Malcolm," she whispered hoarsely.

Tears threatened to spill from his eyes as he stood there, unable to say anything. Malcolm was aware of the other people in the room leaving, except for the doctor who came to stand by him.

"Your Lanari friend's blood provided us with the clue we needed to cleanse her system of the substance," the doctor reported. "Both she and the baby will be fine. She will be weak for several days, and after that will have to restrict her activities for some time. But we will be keeping a close eye on her and the baby at her weekly checkups."

At this news, tears did fall from Malcolm's eyes and he whispered a shaky "thank you" to the doctor.

"You can stay for a little while," the doctor said as he headed for the door to leave them alone. "But she and the baby need their rest. I will send a nurse shortly to tell you when you must leave."

The moment the doctor was out of the room, Malcolm leaned over and gently embraced Hoshi. She was so weak she could hardly return the gesture, but she managed to put one hand up to caress his face and wipe away his tears.

"It's OK, Malcolm," she reassured him. "Everything's going to be OK."


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

EPILOGUE

_Two months later..._

Trip was standing next to the window in Malcolm's office on board the Morning Star, fidgeting as he tugged at the collar of his Starfleet dress uniform. "At least I don't have to wear a monkey suit," he said as he watched Malcolm pace back and forth.

"I can't believe she insisted I wear a tuxedo," Malcolm said, glancing down at his light grey pants and jacket. "It's so old-fashioned."

"Hey, you know what they say," Trip said. "A girl only gets married once...well, twice in this case, seein' as how her first husband died...and she wants to do it right."

Malcolm stopped pacing long enough to stare at his friend. "How do you know so much about weddings?" he asked suspiciously.

Trip shrugged. "I come from a big family. Not a year goes by without some cousin or other tyin' the knot."

The door to the office whooshed open and Slanea, dressed in a floor-length gown of deep green and an even deeper decolletage, bustled in. A determined look on her face, she headed straight for Trip, who took an involuntary step backward at her rapid approach.

"Hold still," she hissed, holding up her hand to show him one of the orchid-like flowers that grew around the cottage on Estab. "Hoshi wants me to put this on you."

"You're takin' this maid of honor thing seriously, aren't you?" he said as she grabbed his dress jacket's lapel and jerked him closer.

"It is a great honor," she replied, stabbing the lapel viciously with a long pin. "I had no idea humans incorporated such concepts in their mating ceremonies."

She attached the flower and turned to advance on Malcolm. "As maid of honor, I must follow her wishes, and she wishes both of you to wear a flower," she said, a little wrinkle of distaste crossing her features.

Malcolm held his ground and allowed her to impale the flower on his lapel.

"How's Hoshi doing?" he asked as Slanea straightened the lapel with a sharp yank.

"She is...what do you call it?...'a bundle of nerves,'" Slanea remarked candidly. As she headed for the door, she called back over her shoulder, "She said to contact the Falcon and find out what is taking Kleth so long."

"Probably couldn't find a tux big enough to fit him," Trip muttered under his breath as the door swooshed shut, causing Malcolm to laugh despite his nervousness. He had just sobered when Trip mused aloud, "You know, the way Slanea stomps around in that dress, she reminds me of a flamenco dancer. I'm just glad she didn't grab me and dip me or somethin'."

"She's saving that for Kleth," Malcolm said, earning a hearty "I certainly hope so!" from Trip, and both men laughed.

Malcolm was reaching for the comm panel on his desk to check on Kleth's status when the door opened again. In came the Klingon, dressed in flowing robes of deep purple highlighted with gold embroidery. He was carrying a small book in one hand.

"Ma'Com! I have reviewed these wedding vows," he said, shaking the book for emphasis. "Are you sure?"

"About what?"

"Love and honor I can understand, but obey?"

Glaring at Trip, who was standing by the window snickering, Malcolm let out a long sigh. "They're traditional vows, Kleth. I really had no say in them. It was all Hoshi's decision. Generally in human weddings, the bride makes most of the decisions and the groom just stays out of the way."

The Klingon considered him for a moment and said, "Then perhaps obey is correct."

Malcolm's retort was cut off by the door opening again. This time it was Orwell, dressed in a dark suit. "It's time, sir," he said. "We're all ready."

Malcolm took a deep breath as Trip came over and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Come on, buddy," Trip said and led the way to the door. "Time to face the music."

Malcolm stopped on the other side of the doorway to look around at his crew. All twenty-two of them were there, ranged around the perimeter of the bridge, although Johnson was seated at the helm console. Not that she would be doing any piloting -- they were in orbit on automatic -- but she had claimed it was the best seat on the bridge.

Off to one side Malcolm caught a glimpse of Petrania and other Estab medical personnel from Hoshi's clinics, as well as P'kora and his family.

P'kora was now in charge of security for the Morning Star. Not a position usually found on a freighter, Malcolm conceded, but he had a feeling the ship would be involved in any number of circumstances where a trained law officer's talents would come in handy. As Malcolm added more vessels to his shipping line, P'kora could eventually move into a position in charge of security for the entire fleet. In the meantime, the Lanari would be gaining invaluable hands-on experience.

Much as Malcolm wished he and Hoshi would have a peaceful, uneventful life, somehow he didn't think that was going to happen.

Even if they did manage to get through life with no major problems, he wasn't taking any chances. Not only would the Morning Star be one of the few freighters with a security officer, it would also have its own onboard doctor. He and Hoshi had hired the doctor for the crew just last week.

He mustered a nervous smile and walked to stand in front of the viewscreen, which was showing the planet Estab revolving peacefully, and turned to face the assemblage. Trip, as his best man, took up a position next to him on his far side.

A murmur ran through those assembled on the bridge as Kleth entered. The Klingon had always been an impressive presence, but dressed in formal Klingon robes, walking in a stately tread to stand on Malcolm's other side, his dignity was undeniable. He, too, turned to face the crew.

As if on cue, the turbolift door opened, and out stepped Slanea. She took exaggeratedly measured steps down onto the bridge proper.

"I want a hat with those little fuzzy balls hanging around the rim so our outfits coordinate," Trip whispered, and Malcolm gave him a nudge with his elbow.

Slanea reached the wedding party and turned to face the group, all of whom were waiting for the turbolift's door to open again. When it did, Orwell leaned down to the communications console and pushed a button, and the strains of "Here Comes the Bride" filled the bridge.

Hoshi had kept her wedding outfit a secret from Malcolm, and he was stunned by the sight of her. Her delicate white satin gown glimmered in the bridge lighting. It fit snuggly around her bosum, but flowed loosely from there to the floor. Although the gown was entirely white, Malcolm could make out a pattern of blossoms embossed on the material. Cherry blossoms, he realized, another acknowledgement to tradition in honoring her ancestry.

She had twined more of the orchid-like flowers in her hair, which was done up in a high bun on top of her head with a few tendrils curling down around her face. A gold sash, which Malcolm recognized as her badge of office as captain of a Klingon warbird, was draped around her hips. The sash couldn't cover the slight pooch of her stomach which was showing her pregnancy, and neither did the small spray of flowers she carried.

Malcolm thought she had never looked more beautiful.

Hoshi made her way unfalteringly to his side. After she handed her flowers to Slanea, he reached out to take her hand. How long they would have stood like that, gazing into each other's eyes, he didn't know, but eventually Kleth cleared his throat, a buzz-saw sound that drew their attention to him.

"Dearly beloved," the Klingon began in a low rumble that could be heard by everyone on the bridge. "We are gathered here today..."

Later, Malcolm would be able to recall only bits and pieces of the ceremony. He was fairly sure he responded at all the appropriate spots, and he was aware of Hoshi's soft voice saying her parts and her eyes lifting to meet his throughout the ceremony. He did hear Slanea snort when they reached the vow that included "obey," which set Kleth to growling at her and her snarling back at him. Malcolm had to clear his throat to get their attention back on the ceremony, causing a ripple of laughter to run through the crew watching the ceremony.

The only other disruption was when Trip went to hand Malcolm the ring to put on Hoshi's finger. It slipped from Trip's grasp and rolled across the deck, disappearing under the helm console. Johnson and Trip spent several anxious moments on their hands and knees looking for the ring until Johnson found it and handed it back to Trip.

They made it through the rest of the ceremony without interruption and Kleth pronounced them man and wife, ending with "You may now kiss the bride -- Q'apla!"

"Husband," he heard Hoshi whisper as they broke apart from the kiss to the cheers and clapping of the crew.

"Wife," he whispered back, giving her a tight hug before they turned to face the assembled group.

* * *

"Put me down!" Hoshi cried in mock horror as Malcolm lifted her into his arms to carry her across the threshold to his cabin. 

"I thought you liked tradition, so I'm just honoring your wishes," he said as he awkwardly balanced her weight while he thumbed the button to open the door. "Besides, I might not be able to pick you up in a few more months."

"The mighty Malcolm Reed, brought to his knees by a mere slip of a woman," Hoshi purred in his ear as carried her through the doorway.

"Mere slip?" he asked. "You've got me outnumbered two-to-one. That's hardly fair."

She laughed as he slid one hand to rest on her stomach. "It's still a little early to feel it move," she said.

"Hmm. Knowing the mother, when it does start kicking, it won't stop."

She gazed up into his eyes which were crinkled with laughter and her breath caught in her throat. Married! She almost couldn't believe it.

When she'd woken from her coma, she had seen him rush to her bedside in the clinic. He had looked so haggard and worn that she had felt the need to comfort him, despite her being the one who had just been snatched from the jaws of death, so to speak. If she would have known her trip to Lanari would been the cause of the haunted look in his eyes...

Stop it, she chided herself. That wild misadventure had been out of their control. Who could have predicted she would be kidnapped by a fanatic insurgent who had delusions of grandeur?

Malcolm had told her what had happened to F'linu. In all honesty she couldn't say she was sorry. But she was glad that Malcolm wasn't the one responsible for F'linu's death. Better that Kleth, whose culture condoned killing as a means of vengeance, had taken matters into his own big hands. She was certain F'linu's death wouldn't keep Kleth up at night.

"So, are you just going to stand here holding me all night or what?" she asked with a straight face.

"I think I choose 'what,'" he replied, striding over to the bed and gently depositing her on it.

He turned and pulled the Oriental screen farther over to block the view of the room from the bed.

"Why did you do that?" she asked curiously.

"Well," he began, gazing down at her, "I heard Trip talking to Kleth and Slanea before we left the reception."

"And?"

"He was talking about a custom known as a chivaree."

"Oh-oh."

"'Oh-oh' is right," Malcolm said. "The screen won't be much protection, but at least it will give us a few more seconds to cover up in case they barge in on us."

Hoshi's brow furrowed. "But you locked the door, didn't you?"

"Yes. But two of those three are engineers. I'm sure they'll figure out a way to get in."

An impish expression crossed Hoshi's features. "Maybe we'll be finished by the time they get here."

Malcolm growled and tossed himself down on the bed next to her. "Come here, wench," he said, teasing her with a quick kiss as he took her in his arms. "If you think we're getting out of bed before we have to, you're mistaken."

* * *

Trip, Slanea and Kleth were the last people in the mess hall. The reception has lasted well into the evening, and Trip pitied whoever was on clean-up duty. Dirty dishes and glasses were scattered about, and streamers and confetti littered the entire room. The remains of a cake shaped like the Morning Star was on a table in the corner. 

Slanea had kicked off her shoes, complaining they hurt her feet. She and Kleth were sitting very close to each other, but Trip would occasionally reach out and run a finger up the bottom of one of her bare feet where they were propped up on a chair next to him. He wondered how many times he could make her jump from the ticklish sensation before she'd try to pound him into the deck. He was also counting on Kleth stopping her.

"So, ya don't have anything like a chivaree back on your home world?" he asked, going back to a topic he had tried earlier to discuss with the two Klingons.

"No," Kleth said. "Once you mate, that's it."

"Well, let me tell ya about this," Trip said. "It's an old, old custom. So old that it's hardly practiced any more."

"Hoshi likes tradition," Slanea murmured peevishly. "I should know. I was her maid of honor. She told me everything..." Slanea paused to belch loudly, then finished, "...about weddings and tradition."

Trip and Kleth looked at each other as Slanea slowly plucked petals off flowers in the bride's bouquet. Slanea had caught the bouquet. Trip had had to spend a half hour trying to explain why humans believed the person who caught the bouquet would be the next one to be married.

"I don't want a human wedding," Slanea grumbled as she viciously crumpled a petal and belched again.

"Oh, Lord," Trip said, rolling his eyes. "She's had enough. Cut her off."

"Cut what off her?" Kleth asked.

"Never mind," Trip said. "Back to the chivaree. It was a custom in my area of Earth but it originated along the Scottish and Irish border lands. Rival clans would show up to kidnap the bride."

Kleth's interest had picked up at the mention of rivalry and kidnapping, but he grunted in disappointment when Trip added, "But it was all in fun. Well, at least later. Maybe not at first. What was I talkin' about? Oh, yeah. Where I'm from, friends of the happy couple show up outside their room and make a lot of noise. Sort of like a serenade, but without the rhythm or the harmony. There's a lot of beatin' on pots and pans, firecrackers, even shootin' off guns."

Kleth's furrowed brow drew even closer together. "Why?"

"You know," Trip said thoughtfully, "I really don't know why. Mostly to embarrass the couple, I guess, or maybe warn 'em. But anyway, afterward, the couple is supposed to let the merry-makers in, and continue the party."

"You humans like to do embarrass others, don't you?" Kleth said.

"Only the ones we love," Trip replied and took another drink from his glass.

Slanea looked up from the nearly denuded bouquet and said, "So it's like teasing."

"Exactly," Trip said with a smile.

"Well, at least my captain and his mistress love me," she said with a drunken glare at Kleth. "They asked me to be the maid of honor!" Staggering to her feet, she said, "Come on! We will do this chivaree."

"What's the matter with her?" Trip asked Kleth at they watched her walk unsteadily toward the door.

"She thinks she has to be mated right away since she caught the flowers," Kleth replied. Leaning closer, he added in a lower voice, "And she hates flowers."

"Ah, damn!" Trip ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't explain that very well, did I?"

The two men got to their feet to follow Slanea, and Kleth remarked casually, "Ma'Com would lock their door."

"That's OK," Trip replied, reaching up to clap Kleth on the shoulder. "I got a plan. They want a nursery next door, so we're going to cut our way in with plasma torches and make the new doorway at the same time."

Kleth threw back his head roared with laughter before clapping Trip on the shoulder in return.

Staggering -- one from the force of his laughter, the other from the force of the blow -- the two men followed the erstwhile maid of honor down the hall.

--the end--

A/N: Thank you to anyone who read this entire story. I hope you enjoyed it. Any comments would be appreciated, as my muse is getting a little starved.


End file.
